MARKET CURRENTS
real-time news and commentary for investors
MARKET CURRENTS
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Today - Tuesday, May 21, 2013
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7:40 PM Baltic Trading (BALT) announces a public offering of common stock. Size and terms weren't disclosed. The company intends to use the net proceeds from the offering for future vessel acquisitions or, to the extent it does not so use them, for working capital and general corporate purposes. Shares +1.8% AH. Comment!
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5:23 PM Avid (AVID) -12.7% AH to $6 after announcing it has received a NASDAQ non-compliance warning due to its failure to file its 2012 10-K on time, that it expects to restate its 2009-2012 results due to its (previously-announced) accounting review, and that its review now extends to "accounting for certain restructuring expenses related to lease obligations and other exit activities" for Q2 and Q3 2012 - Avid thinks restructuring expenses may have been overstated by ~$3.5M on a pre-tax basis. Shares are close to a multi-year low of $5.85. 1 Comment
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4:18 PM Herbalife's (HLF +2.7%) naming of PricewaterhouseCoopers as its new outside auditor puts an end to a six-week search, which turned out to be an unusually difficult and drawn out process - the company actually had to seek counsel from the SEC to avoid conflict of interest issues - and was intensely scrutinized because of the bitter public battle between Ackman and Icahn over HLF's business model. The news is a positive for the shares today, if only because the company has been blocked temporarily from raising money in the markets because of its lack of an auditor. Comment!
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4:13 PM Saks (SKS +11.1%) has hired Goldman to explore strategic alternatives, "including a possible sale of the company," the NY Post reports. P-E firms, including KKR and Leonard Green, are seen as likely bidders. Shares +15.8% AH, adding to today's big post-earnings gains. 1 Comment
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4:08 PM NetApp (NTAP): FQ4 EPS of $0.69 beats by $0.01. Revenue of $1.72B (+1% Y/Y) misses by $40M. Expects FQ1 revenue of $1.475B-$1.575B and EPS of $0.45-$0.50, below consensus of $1.6B and $0.53. Initiates $0.15/share quarterly dividend (1.6% yield) with intention to increase over time. Increases buyback authorization by $1.6B to $3B. Shares +3.3% AH. CC at 5:30PM ET (webcast). (PR) Comment!
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3:57 PM SinoCoking Coal and Coke (SCOK +27.8%) shares skyrocket after Fenwei Energy Consulting says China's proposed ban on imports of lower-quality coal could boost domestic benchmark prices by as much as 8%. Comment!
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3:52 PM Accuray (ARAY +4.5%) pops today after presenting study results at UBS' Global Life Sciences Conference showing that 97% of low risk-prostate cancer patients remained cancer free when treated with its CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System. 90.7% of intermediate-risk patients remained cancer-free after 5+ years. (Presentation Transcript) Comment!
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3:47 PM Freeport McMoRan's (FCX -2.8%) Indonesian mine could face a prolonged closure and scrutiny over its underground mining plans, as the death toll from the collapsed tunnel at the Grasberg complex reaches 28, analysts and mining sources say. The bigger strategic question concerns whether FCX engineers fully understand ground conditions or rock mechanics of the area. Comment!
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3:28 PM Shares of Pacific Ethanol (PEIX +20.2%) and BioFuel Energy (BIOF +11.5%) surge after the most recent EIA supply report shows ethanol stockpiles at 16.4M barrels in the week ended May 10, the lowest level since Dec. 2010. Production of ethanol also is at below-average levels for this time of year, Bloomberg data shows. 1 Comment
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2:31 PM Shares of Rosetta Genomics (ROSG +2.4%) recovered from early losses to trade back near the prior day's highs after the company announced yesterday that it had signed a credentialing agreement with PPO provider Prime Health Services under which ROSG's miRview mets2 test will be included in Prime's covered products and services. Comment!
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2:21 PM Shares of Cell Therapeutics (CTIC +6.5%) spike higher ahead of today's upcoming presentation at the UBS Global Healthcare Conference. The presentation will be held at 2:30 ET and is accessible on webcast here: [[CTIC} Presentation Webcast}. Comment!
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1:50 PM Biogen (BIIB +3.6%) submits Biologics License Application to the FDA for the approval of its injectable drug candidate Plegridy for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. The company says the application is supported by data from year one of a two year Phase 3 study which "met all primary and secondary endpoints." In March, BIIB said the drug cut annual relapse rates by 36% and analysts say it could generate revenue of $318M by 2017. (PR) Comment!
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1:39 PM KB Home (KBH -1%) reaffirmed its FY13 outlook earlier today, saying it continues to see healthy profitability in 2013. Its gross margin is expected to improve sequentially throughout the year. It also plans to invest more than $1B on land acquisition and development over the course of the year. (Webcast). Comment!
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1:28 PM WellCare Health Plans (WCG -5.1%) falls on a Goldman downgrade to Neutral from Buy (price target $60). Analyst Matthew Borsch cites downside risks to Medicare Advantage earnings in revising down his FY14 EPS estimate to $5.50 from $5.75 (consensus is $5.47) and his FY15 estimate to $6.30 from $6.65. See the CC transcript for Borsch's back and forth with management regarding Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and STAR quality scoring. Comment!
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1:28 PM WellCare Health Plans (WCG -5.1%) falls on a Goldman downgrade to Neutral from Buy (price target $60). Analyst Matthew Borsch cites downside risks to Medicare Advantage earnings in revising down his FY14 EPS estimate to $5.50 from $5.75 (consensus is $5.47) and his FY15 estimate to $6.30 from $6.65. See the CC transcript for Borsch's back and forth with management regarding Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and STAR quality scoring. Comment!
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12:59 PM Five of 2013's biggest tech high-flyers - SolarCity (SCTY -10.1%), Himax (HIMX -6%), UniPixel (UNXL -9.1%), SunPower (SPWR -5.2%), and Ubiquiti (UBNT -4.4%), are seeing heavy losses today. Netflix (NFLX -0.9%), another big 2013 winner, is down moderately. Is this a sign tech momentum investors are looking to take some cash off the table? YTD gains: SCTY +287%. HIMX +200%. UNXL +72%. SPWR +282%. UBNT +56%. NFLX +156%. Comment!
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