ANSS - News and Analysis from Seeking Alpha 'ANSS' Tag RSS Syndication from SeekingAlpha.com SeekingAlpha.com http://seekingalpha.com/symbol/anss Weekly Street Sentiment: Sell-Side Gets Burned Going Bearish Too Soon http://seekingalpha.com/article/150113-weekly-street-sentiment-sell-side-gets-burned-going-bearish-too-soon?source=feed 150113 click to enlarge

Sell-Side Gets Burned Going Bearish Too Soon
Ouch, that one hurt!
Sixteen weeks we waited for the sell-side to decide the market rally was ready to turn.
Sixteen weeks we wondered what it would take to make them reconsider their long bias and what that would mean for a market that seemingly was running based on the notion that the market simply wanted it to keep running higher.
Sixteen weeks we marvelled at the resolve of the sell-side to maintain their composure and be consistent with their “stay long” advice to their client base.
Sixteen weeks we waited… and it only took two weeks for the sell-side to conclude that they had moved too soon.
Welcome back folks! According to the sell-side, this rally isn’t over yet and when they realized their mistake, the sell-side couldn’t find a fast enough way to jump back on the bullish bandwagon that they had left a mere 14 days ago!
Last week saw sentiment climb 7.8%, the largest single week-over-week climb since we’ve been tracking this data. However, it probably speaks more to the amount of sell-side professionals who got caught offside than it does to any fundamental shift in the economic or corporate picture.
Now, we’re not going to take a stab at trying to figure out what made the sell-side turn bearish two weeks ago. In truth, it could have been anything from macro data to just being nervous that the market had come too far too fast. And, we’re not going to try and understand what drove them to do a one hundred and eighty degree turn on that feeling this past week. But where we can add value is in trying to understand how often we’ve been in this type of “flip-flop” environment when sentiment has turned this rapidly and what did that means for the upcoming months.
So, What Certainty Comes from Uncertainty?
Let’s put things in context. Over the past 30 months, there have been sixteen distinct sentiment shifts including the two that most recently occurred. The average sentiment trend has lasted eight weeks with the longest being 26 weeks back in 2007 and the shortest being a few occasions of just one week.
During those thirty months, there have only been three occasions since we started tracking sell-side sentiment when their “feel” for the market has shifted back and forth over such a short duration.
The first was between December 2007 and January 2008. The sell-side had been in a pronounced bearish trend for 10 weeks before they went bullish for a week, reverted back for a couple of weeks, went bullish again for a single week, reverted back for a month and then finally settled into a sustained 17-week bullish period that ran from February to March of 2008. The final bullish period generated a 9% benchmark return even though it took a couple months of uncertainty to establish a new direction for the market.
In May of 2008, at the end of the above mentioned trend, the sell-side went bearish for two weeks, reverted back to being bullish for a single week and then finally turned bearish for good in mid-June, 2008. The perma-bears ruled for 18 weeks during which the sentiment benchmark posted a greater than 30% return.
Finally, there was one other time in which the sell-side jumped to the other side of the sentiment equation (i.e., from being bulls to bears) for a single week in November of 2008. They managed to capture a generous 15% return in that single week and then went back to being bulls again until the beginning of 2009.
In hindsight, it shouldn’t be surprising that meaningful shifts aren’t pretty or clean. They do tend to take a couple tries to finally move the sell-side from one side of the market to the other for good and knowing that it’s the upcoming weeks that will be the decisive ones to watch. If the sell-side shows continued volatility and moves bearish again in the next week or two, then history would indicate we’ve entered another sustained bearish trend. While the transition wouldn’t have been pretty or even profitable, at that time the sell-side would be suggesting that your money should be off the table and out of the market for at least a couple of months and probably even longer.
So, as we wait and watch, here are the five tickers that have undergone the biggest bullish and bearish sentiment shifts over the last week:
Top 5 Bullish Sentiment Shifts:
Top 5 Bearish Sentiment Shifts:
Until next week…
]]> Tue, 21 Jul 2009 09:16:56 -0400 First Coverage First Coverage submits:

click to enlarge

Sell-Side Gets Burned Going Bearish Too Soon
Ouch, that one hurt!
Sixteen weeks we waited for the sell-side to decide the market rally was ready to turn.
Sixteen weeks we wondered what it would take to make them reconsider their long bias and what that would mean for a market that seemingly was running based on the notion that the market simply wanted it to keep running higher.
Sixteen weeks we marvelled at the resolve of the sell-side to maintain their composure and be consistent with their “stay long” advice to their client base.
Sixteen weeks we waited… and it only took two weeks for the sell-side to conclude that they had moved too soon.
Welcome back folks! According to the sell-side, this rally isn’t over yet and when they realized their mistake, the sell-side couldn’t find a fast enough way to jump back on the bullish bandwagon that they had left a mere 14 days ago!
Last week saw sentiment climb 7.8%, the largest single week-over-week climb since we’ve been tracking this data. However, it probably speaks more to the amount of sell-side professionals who got caught offside than it does to any fundamental shift in the economic or corporate picture.
Now, we’re not going to take a stab at trying to figure out what made the sell-side turn bearish two weeks ago. In truth, it could have been anything from macro data to just being nervous that the market had come too far too fast. And, we’re not going to try and understand what drove them to do a one hundred and eighty degree turn on that feeling this past week. But where we can add value is in trying to understand how often we’ve been in this type of “flip-flop” environment when sentiment has turned this rapidly and what did that means for the upcoming months.
So, What Certainty Comes from Uncertainty?
Let’s put things in context. Over the past 30 months, there have been sixteen distinct sentiment shifts including the two that most recently occurred. The average sentiment trend has lasted eight weeks with the longest being 26 weeks back in 2007 and the shortest being a few occasions of just one week.
During those thirty months, there have only been three occasions since we started tracking sell-side sentiment when their “feel” for the market has shifted back and forth over such a short duration.
The first was between December 2007 and January 2008. The sell-side had been in a pronounced bearish trend for 10 weeks before they went bullish for a week, reverted back for a couple of weeks, went bullish again for a single week, reverted back for a month and then finally settled into a sustained 17-week bullish period that ran from February to March of 2008. The final bullish period generated a 9% benchmark return even though it took a couple months of uncertainty to establish a new direction for the market.
In May of 2008, at the end of the above mentioned trend, the sell-side went bearish for two weeks, reverted back to being bullish for a single week and then finally turned bearish for good in mid-June, 2008. The perma-bears ruled for 18 weeks during which the sentiment benchmark posted a greater than 30% return.
Finally, there was one other time in which the sell-side jumped to the other side of the sentiment equation (i.e., from being bulls to bears) for a single week in November of 2008. They managed to capture a generous 15% return in that single week and then went back to being bulls again until the beginning of 2009.
In hindsight, it shouldn’t be surprising that meaningful shifts aren’t pretty or clean. They do tend to take a couple tries to finally move the sell-side from one side of the market to the other for good and knowing that it’s the upcoming weeks that will be the decisive ones to watch. If the sell-side shows continued volatility and moves bearish again in the next week or two, then history would indicate we’ve entered another sustained bearish trend. While the transition wouldn’t have been pretty or even profitable, at that time the sell-side would be suggesting that your money should be off the table and out of the market for at least a couple of months and probably even longer.
So, as we wait and watch, here are the five tickers that have undergone the biggest bullish and bearish sentiment shifts over the last week:
Top 5 Bullish Sentiment Shifts:
Top 5 Bearish Sentiment Shifts:
Until next week…

Complete Story »]]> AMSC ANSS CCL CNW ESI FCX LSTR RIMM VPRT X First Coverage For Software Companies, Non-GAAP EPS Is Best Left Ignored http://seekingalpha.com/article/144594-for-software-companies-non-gaap-eps-is-best-left-ignored?source=feed 144594 As per my understanding, non-GAAP EPS values are supposed to provide a 'better' picture of a company's earnings power. While GAAP EPS might be skewed due to one-time charges, the non-GAAP EPS value was supposed to strip-out the effect on such one-time items and therefore provide the investor with a metric which can be compared across quarters. In case of most software companies, the non-GAAP numbers are not necessarily comparable and I would recommend that investors stick to the GAAP EPS numbers alone. Here's why:

Non-GAAP does not mean that 'simple' accounting should be overlooked

]]> Mon, 22 Jun 2009 09:46:17 -0400 Naveen Selvaraj Naveen Selvaraj submits:

As per my understanding, non-GAAP EPS values are supposed to provide a 'better' picture of a company's earnings power. While GAAP EPS might be skewed due to one-time charges, the non-GAAP EPS value was supposed to strip-out the effect on such one-time items and therefore provide the investor with a metric which can be compared across quarters. In case of most software companies, the non-GAAP numbers are not necessarily comparable and I would recommend that investors stick to the GAAP EPS numbers alone. Here's why:

Non-GAAP does not mean that 'simple' accounting should be overlooked


Complete Story »]]> ADBE ADSK ANSS BLKB INFA ORCL OTEX PMTC PRGS Naveen Selvaraj Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News http://seekingalpha.com/article/136072-wall-street-breakfast-must-know-news?source=feed 136072

  • Final countdown to stress test results. With just hours to go before the Federal Reserve releases its official stress test report, results continue to leak out. At least seven of the nation's biggest banks reportedly need to boost capital by $65B; Bank of America (BAC) likely has the largest hole to plug with a capital shortfall of around $34B, followed by Wells Fargo (WFC) with $13-15B, GMAC (GJM) with $11.5B, Citigroup (C) with $5B and Morgan Stanley (MS) with $1.5B. At least six institutions won't need any capital at all, including JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Goldman Sachs (GS), MetLife (MET), American Express (AXP), Bank of New York Mellon (BK) and Capital One Financial (COF). Geithner said the results will give a 'reassuring' picture of the banking system's ability to withstand crisis. Financial shares continue to do well in the run-up to the official release: AXP +2.2%, BAC +5.2%, C +7.8%, GS +0.9%, JPM +1.4%, MS +0.5%, WFC +2.5% (7:00 ET).
  • Addressing too-big-to-fail. FDIC's Sheila Bair and Minneapolis Federal Reserve's Gary Stern offered up various solutions for the too-big-to-fail problem in Senate testimony yesterday. Bair wants to see the creation of a systemic-risk council to monitor potentially problematic companies because, as one lawmaker put it, "we cannot afford to replace Citi-sized financial institutions with Citi-sized regulators." Bair also wants the FDIC to be able to wind down bank and thrift holding companies as it now does with failed lenders. Stern suggested stress tests with pre-specified policy requirements, automatic capital protection regimes and insurance premiums on risky activity. (Read Bair's full testimony and Stern's full testimony)
  • Senate fights foreclosures. The Senate approved a bill to reduce home foreclosures, including a provision that would shield mortgage service companies from lawsuits if they participate in federal loan modification programs. The bill did not include a controversial mortgage cramdown proposal some Democrats had been advocating. Lawmakers also raised the FDIC's borrowing authority to $100B from $30B, and extended the $250,000 deposit insurance limit through 2013.
  • Chrysler update. In the words of Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne, "Chrysler is on track to re-emerge from bankruptcy in 60 days. I will become Chrysler CEO after that." He said the idea has already been discussed with the Treasury.
  • GM seeks stake in Fiat. General Motors (GM) is reportedly asking for a 30% stake in Fiat in return for giving the Italian automaker its Latin American and European operations, while Fiat is offering less than 10%. The talks are the latest development in Fiat's sudden bid to grow into a global auto powerhouse, by acquiring GM's Opel, and a 20% stake in Chrysler.
  • Murdoch: brighter outlook for News Corp. News Corp. (NWS) reported in-line quarterly earnings yesterday (see details below) and a 47% drop in operating income as advertising revenues declined. The company reaffirmed earlier guidance that FY '09 operating income would fall 30%. However, CEO Rupert Murdoch stressed "it is increasingly clear that the worst is over. There are emerging signs in some of our businesses that the days of precipitous decline are done." Murdoch has no plans to buy additional newspapers, and will initiate cost-cutting at MySpace and Fox Interactive Media.
  • SocGen posts loss on writedowns. Societe Generale (SCGLY.PK) reported an unexpected Q1 loss on writedowns connected to U.S. bond insurers and on higher provisions for risky loans. The bank had a net loss of €278M ($370M) vs. analysts' forecasts for a €332M profit, and noted that "acute tensions remain in the financial markets." CEO Frederic Oudea was named chairman, after Daniel Bouton stepped down from the position at the end of April. Shares -3.8% in Paris (7:00 ET).
  • New Kindle for students, newsies. As expected, Amazon (AMZN) released a new and larger e-reader designed for textbooks and newspapers. The Kindle DX will cost $489, a mark-up of $130 over earlier versions of the e-reader, and will go on sale this summer.
  • GE's health-care push. General Electric (GE) plans to announce a health-care initiative today, unveiling its efforts to improve the 'sustainability of global healthcare systems' in the areas of health technology, independent living, rural health and cost containment. The initiative will likely involve at least $1B of R&D spending. Shares +3.1% premarket (7:00 ET).
  • MSFT still open to Yahoo deal. Microsoft (MSFT) CEO Steve Ballmer sees room to work with Yahoo (YHOO) to create a 'better search product' and says a tie-up would have been 'valuable.' He declined to comment on whether the two companies are holding formal talks. Premarket: MSFT +1.1%, YHOO +1.0% (7:00 ET).
  • House hearing on BoA-Merrill. Bank of America (BAC) CEO Ken Lewis and top federal officials will reportedly be asked to testify in the House of Representatives next month regarding claims that the government pressured Bank of America into completing its Merrill Lynch acquisition.
  • Dell may use Android. Dell (DELL) may use Google's (GOOG) Android operating system for future products, according to a press release put out by a small software company. The company's spokeswoman and a Dell representative later said the release was 'issued in error,' but the Dell spokesman confirmed the firm is assessing technology options.
  • Weak April for Costco. Costco (COST) said its April same-store sales were 8% lower than a year ago, even worse than the 6.8% drop analysts expected. The decline was led by a 12% drop internationally, and 7% in the U.S. Total sales fell 6% to $5.18B.
  • Job cuts decline. Firing announcements fell 12% in April M/M to 132,590, marking the third month in a row of job cuts declines, but are up 47% Y/Y. The report by Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc noted that "job cuts are still at recession levels, but the fact that they are falling is certainly promising." According to ADP, private sector employment fell by 491,000 in April vs. 708,000 in March (revised from 742K) - much less than the 645,000 decline economists expected. Improvement was widespread across industries and across business sizes, but "this is still a major decline in employment."
  • BoE stays put, boosts bond buys. Bank of England kept its key lending rate unchanged at 0.5%, but raised its bond purchase target by £50B to £125B. "The global banking and financial system remains fragile despite further significant intervention by the authorities," the Bank said, noting it expects U.K. inflation to drop below its 2% target later this year. "But surveys at home and abroad show promising signs that the pace of decline has begun to moderate."

Earnings: Thursday Before Open

  • AECOM Technology (ACM): FQ2 EPS of $0.40 in-line. Revenue of $1.5B (+28.7%) vs. $1.6B. (PR)
  • Ansys (ANSS): Q1 EPS of $0.37 beats by $0.01. Revenue of $121M (+10.9%) vs. $125M. (PR)
  • ATP Oil & Gas (ATPG): Q1 EPS of $0.05 beats by $0.40. Revenue of $82M (-63.9%) vs. $92M. (PR)
  • BCE (BCE): Q1 EPS of $0.57 beats by $0.04. Revenue of $3.6B (-0.5%) vs. $4.3B. (PR)
  • Cameron International (CAM): Q1 EPS of $0.59 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $1.3B (-6.1%) vs. $1.4B. (PR)
  • CapitalSource (CSE): Q1 EPS of -$0.36 misses by $0.11. (PR)
  • Continental Resources (CLR): Q1 EPS of -$0.03 misses by $0.03. Revenue of $97M (-57.6%) vs. $112M. (PR)
  • Corrections Corp. of America (CXW): Q1 EPS of $0.29 beats by $0.03. Revenue of $404M (+6.5%) vs. $403M. (PR)
  • Dynegy (DYN): Q1 EPS of -$0.40 misses by $0.36. Revenue of $904M (+66.5%) vs. $683M. (PR)
  • Frontier Communications (FTR): Q1 EPS of $0.12 misses by $0.02. Revenue of $538M (-5.5%) vs. $547M. (PR)
  • General Motors (GM): Q1 EPS of -$9.66 beats by $1.39. Revenue of $22.43B (-47.1%) vs. consensus of $20.19B. Excluding special items, adjusted net loss was $5.9B. Cash fell to $11.6B from $14.2B. Shares +4.8% premarket (7:20 ET). (PR)
  • Holly (HOC): Q1 EPS of $0.44 beats by $0.14. Revenue of $651M (-56%) vs. $590M. (PR)
  • HRPT Properties Trust (HRP): Q1 EPS of $0.28 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $217M (+7.8%) vs. $216M. (PR)
  • Lamar Advertising Company (LAMR): Q1 EPS of -$0.23 beats by $0.06. Revenue of $247M (-12.6%) vs. $244M. (PR)
  • Lexington Realty Trust (LXP): Q1 EPS of $0.38 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $101M (-4.5%) vs. $99M. (PR)
  • Linn Energy LLC (LINE): Q1 EPS of $0.48 beats by $0.09. Revenue of $204M (+19.2%) vs. $171M. (PR)
  • MetroPCS Communications (PCS): Q1 EPS of $0.12 beats by $0.03. Revenue of $795M (+20.1%) vs. $818M. (PR)
  • Nasdaq (NDAQ): Q1 EPS of $0.48 beats by $0.01. Revenue of $369M (-11.9%) vs. $379M. (PR)
  • Omega Healthcare Investors (OHI): Q1 FFO of $0.37 in-line. Revenue of $49M (+20.3%) vs. $42M. Reaffirms FY '09 FFO of $1.47-$1.50. (PR)
  • Perrigo Company (PRGO): FQ3 EPS of $0.50 beats by $0.05. Revenue of $506M (+5.3%) vs. $527M. Issues upside EPS guidance for FY '09 of $1.80-1.90, vs. previous guidance of $1.75-1.90. Shares +4.3% premarket (8:00 ET). (PR)
  • Plains Exploration & Production Company (PXP): Q1 EPS of $1.23 beats by $0.96. Revenue of $228.5M (-63.3%) vs. $302.7M. (PR)
  • Teradata Corporation (TDC): Q1 EPS of $0.26 beats by $0.12. Revenue of $367M (-2.1%) vs. $345M. (PR)

Earnings: Wednesday After Close

  • Anadarko Petroleum (APC): Q1 EPS of -$0.53 beats by $0.09. Revenue of $1.6B (-46.4%) vs. $1.7B. Shares +0.85% AH. (PR)
  • Atwood Oceanics (ATW): FQ2 EPS of $0.88 beats by $0.09. Revenue of $141M (+24%) vs. $139M. Shares +4.4% AH. (PR)
  • Avis Budget Group (CAR): Q1 EPS of -$0.44 beats by $0.19. Revenue of $1.19B (-17.4%) vs. $1.25B. Shares -5.75% AH. (PR)
  • Brookdale Senior Living (BKD): Q1 EPS of -$0.13 beats by $0.20. Revenue of $498M (+3.6%) vs. $495M. (PR)
  • Churchill Downs (CHDN): Q1 EPS of -$0.37 beats by $0.21. Revenue of $73.7M (+12.2%) vs. $67.6M. (PR)
  • Cisco Systems (CSCO): FQ3 EPS of $0.30 beats by $0.05. Revenue of $8.2B vs. $8.07B. CEO John Chambers' comments on the earnings call will be critical, as always. Shares +2.5% AH. (PR)
  • Eagle Bulk Shipping (EGLE): Q1 EPS of $0.37 in-line. Revenue of $56M (+52.6%) vs. $54.4M. Utilization rate 99.6%. Shares -4.5% AH. (PR)
  • Embarq (EQ): Q1 EPS of $1.39 beats by $0.10. Revenue of $1.35B (-7.6%) in-line. (PR)
  • Federal Realty Investment Trust (FRT): Q1 FFO of $0.99 in-line. Revenue of $131M (+3.8%) vs. $130M. Shares flat AH. (PR)
  • Global Industries (GLBL): Q1 EPS of $0.17 beats by $0.10. Revenue of $269.5M (-10.6%) vs. $264M. Shares +2.6% AH. (PR)
  • Goodrich Petroleum (GDP): Q1 EPS of -$0.05 misses by $0.02. Revenue of $28.5M (-38.6%) vs. $21M. Shares -1.8% AH. (PR)
  • Home Properties (HME): Q1 FFO of $0.79 beats by $0.01. Revenue of $129M vs. $122M. Shares flat AH. (PR)
  • ION Geophysical (IO): Q1 EPS of -$0.10 misses by $0.02. Revenue of $107M (-23.8%) vs. $133M. Shares -9.5% AH. (PR)
  • Limelight Networks (LLNW): Q1 EPS of -$0.02 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $33.2M (+9.9%) vs. $32.7M. Shares -0.4% AH. (PR)
  • Macrovision (MVSN): Q1 EPS of $0.31 beats by $0.10. Revenue of $111.2M (+7.2%) vs. $106.7M. Narrows full-year guidance essentially in-line with previous range. Shares +4.7% AH. (PR)
  • Murphy Oil (MUR): Q1 EPS of $0.37 beats by $0.12. Revenue of $3.45B (-47.1%) vs. $4.09B. Sees Q2 EPS in-line. Shares flat AH. (PR)
  • News Corp. (NWS): FQ3 EPS of $0.16 in-line. Revenue of $7.4B vs. $7.71B. Says results "directly reflect the continuing weakness of the global economic climate." Shares +3.3% AH. (PR)
  • ON Semiconductor (ONNN): Q1 EPS of $0.03 beats by $0.10. Revenue of $379M vs. $362M. "Due to the slowdown in the macro economy, along with the reduction of inventory levels throughout the supply chain, we believe the semiconductor industry and ON Semiconductor shipped fewer products than the end-market consumed." Shares +8.9% AH. (PR)
  • Penn Virginia (PVA): Q1 EPS of $0.06 in-line. Revenue of $199M (-20.1%) vs. $221M. Shares +0.3% AH. (PR)
  • Prudential Financial (PRU): Q1 EPS of $1.05 beats by $0.22. Revenue of $1M vs. $1M. Shares +4% AH. (PR)
  • Regency Centers (REG): Q1 FFO of $0.78 beats by $0.01. Cuts quarterly dividend by 36% to $0.46. Shares flat AH. (PR)
  • Symantec (SYMC): FQ4 EPS of $0.38 beats by $0.03. Revenue of $1.49B (+1.49%) in-line. Sees FQ1 EPS and revenue in-line. Shares -0.8% AH. (PR)
  • Sunoco (SUN): Q1 EPS of $0.50 beats by $0.16. Revenue of $6.44B. "We continue to expect a challenging market for petroleum and chemical products due to ongoing economic weakness and additional global supply." Expects 2009 capex to be $200M lower than planned. Shares +0.5% AH. (PR)
  • Tenaris (TS): Q1 EPS of $0.62 misses by $0.06. Revenue of $2.45B (-6.7%) vs. $2.5B. Shares -1% AH. (PR)
  • Tesoro (TSO): Q1 EPS of $0.37 in-line. Revenue of $3.28B (-50.3%) in-line. Shares -2.5% AH. (PR)
  • The Andersons (ANDE): Q1 EPS of $0.27 beats by $0.33. Revenue of $697M (-2.2%) vs. $579M. Shares +14.2% AH. (PR)
  • THQ (THQI): FQ4 EPS of -$0.54 misses by $0.20. Revenue of $170M vs. $149M. Expects year-end cash balance at least $50M higher next year. Secures $35M credit line with BofA (BAC). Shares -0.3% AH. (PR)
  • USEC (USU): Q1 EPS of $0.02 misses by $0.07. Shares -5.1% AH. (PR)

Today's Markets

Another day of solid gains for overseas markets. Tokyo, open for the first time this week, led the way.

]]> Thu, 07 May 2009 07:19:25 -0400 SA Editor Rachael Granby

  • Final countdown to stress test results. With just hours to go before the Federal Reserve releases its official stress test report, results continue to leak out. At least seven of the nation's biggest banks reportedly need to boost capital by $65B; Bank of America (BAC) likely has the largest hole to plug with a capital shortfall of around $34B, followed by Wells Fargo (WFC) with $13-15B, GMAC (GJM) with $11.5B, Citigroup (C) with $5B and Morgan Stanley (MS) with $1.5B. At least six institutions won't need any capital at all, including JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Goldman Sachs (GS), MetLife (MET), American Express (AXP), Bank of New York Mellon (BK) and Capital One Financial (COF). Geithner said the results will give a 'reassuring' picture of the banking system's ability to withstand crisis. Financial shares continue to do well in the run-up to the official release: AXP +2.2%, BAC +5.2%, C +7.8%, GS +0.9%, JPM +1.4%, MS +0.5%, WFC +2.5% (7:00 ET).
  • Addressing too-big-to-fail. FDIC's Sheila Bair and Minneapolis Federal Reserve's Gary Stern offered up various solutions for the too-big-to-fail problem in Senate testimony yesterday. Bair wants to see the creation of a systemic-risk council to monitor potentially problematic companies because, as one lawmaker put it, "we cannot afford to replace Citi-sized financial institutions with Citi-sized regulators." Bair also wants the FDIC to be able to wind down bank and thrift holding companies as it now does with failed lenders. Stern suggested stress tests with pre-specified policy requirements, automatic capital protection regimes and insurance premiums on risky activity. (Read Bair's full testimony and Stern's full testimony)
  • Senate fights foreclosures. The Senate approved a bill to reduce home foreclosures, including a provision that would shield mortgage service companies from lawsuits if they participate in federal loan modification programs. The bill did not include a controversial mortgage cramdown proposal some Democrats had been advocating. Lawmakers also raised the FDIC's borrowing authority to $100B from $30B, and extended the $250,000 deposit insurance limit through 2013.
  • Chrysler update. In the words of Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne, "Chrysler is on track to re-emerge from bankruptcy in 60 days. I will become Chrysler CEO after that." He said the idea has already been discussed with the Treasury.
  • GM seeks stake in Fiat. General Motors (GM) is reportedly asking for a 30% stake in Fiat in return for giving the Italian automaker its Latin American and European operations, while Fiat is offering less than 10%. The talks are the latest development in Fiat's sudden bid to grow into a global auto powerhouse, by acquiring GM's Opel, and a 20% stake in Chrysler.
  • Murdoch: brighter outlook for News Corp. News Corp. (NWS) reported in-line quarterly earnings yesterday (see details below) and a 47% drop in operating income as advertising revenues declined. The company reaffirmed earlier guidance that FY '09 operating income would fall 30%. However, CEO Rupert Murdoch stressed "it is increasingly clear that the worst is over. There are emerging signs in some of our businesses that the days of precipitous decline are done." Murdoch has no plans to buy additional newspapers, and will initiate cost-cutting at MySpace and Fox Interactive Media.
  • SocGen posts loss on writedowns. Societe Generale (SCGLY.PK) reported an unexpected Q1 loss on writedowns connected to U.S. bond insurers and on higher provisions for risky loans. The bank had a net loss of €278M ($370M) vs. analysts' forecasts for a €332M profit, and noted that "acute tensions remain in the financial markets." CEO Frederic Oudea was named chairman, after Daniel Bouton stepped down from the position at the end of April. Shares -3.8% in Paris (7:00 ET).
  • New Kindle for students, newsies. As expected, Amazon (AMZN) released a new and larger e-reader designed for textbooks and newspapers. The Kindle DX will cost $489, a mark-up of $130 over earlier versions of the e-reader, and will go on sale this summer.
  • GE's health-care push. General Electric (GE) plans to announce a health-care initiative today, unveiling its efforts to improve the 'sustainability of global healthcare systems' in the areas of health technology, independent living, rural health and cost containment. The initiative will likely involve at least $1B of R&D spending. Shares +3.1% premarket (7:00 ET).
  • MSFT still open to Yahoo deal. Microsoft (MSFT) CEO Steve Ballmer sees room to work with Yahoo (YHOO) to create a 'better search product' and says a tie-up would have been 'valuable.' He declined to comment on whether the two companies are holding formal talks. Premarket: MSFT +1.1%, YHOO +1.0% (7:00 ET).
  • House hearing on BoA-Merrill. Bank of America (BAC) CEO Ken Lewis and top federal officials will reportedly be asked to testify in the House of Representatives next month regarding claims that the government pressured Bank of America into completing its Merrill Lynch acquisition.
  • Dell may use Android. Dell (DELL) may use Google's (GOOG) Android operating system for future products, according to a press release put out by a small software company. The company's spokeswoman and a Dell representative later said the release was 'issued in error,' but the Dell spokesman confirmed the firm is assessing technology options.
  • Weak April for Costco. Costco (COST) said its April same-store sales were 8% lower than a year ago, even worse than the 6.8% drop analysts expected. The decline was led by a 12% drop internationally, and 7% in the U.S. Total sales fell 6% to $5.18B.
  • Job cuts decline. Firing announcements fell 12% in April M/M to 132,590, marking the third month in a row of job cuts declines, but are up 47% Y/Y. The report by Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc noted that "job cuts are still at recession levels, but the fact that they are falling is certainly promising." According to ADP, private sector employment fell by 491,000 in April vs. 708,000 in March (revised from 742K) - much less than the 645,000 decline economists expected. Improvement was widespread across industries and across business sizes, but "this is still a major decline in employment."
  • BoE stays put, boosts bond buys. Bank of England kept its key lending rate unchanged at 0.5%, but raised its bond purchase target by £50B to £125B. "The global banking and financial system remains fragile despite further significant intervention by the authorities," the Bank said, noting it expects U.K. inflation to drop below its 2% target later this year. "But surveys at home and abroad show promising signs that the pace of decline has begun to moderate."

Earnings: Thursday Before Open

  • AECOM Technology (ACM): FQ2 EPS of $0.40 in-line. Revenue of $1.5B (+28.7%) vs. $1.6B. (PR)
  • Ansys (ANSS): Q1 EPS of $0.37 beats by $0.01. Revenue of $121M (+10.9%) vs. $125M. (PR)
  • ATP Oil & Gas (ATPG): Q1 EPS of $0.05 beats by $0.40. Revenue of $82M (-63.9%) vs. $92M. (PR)
  • BCE (BCE): Q1 EPS of $0.57 beats by $0.04. Revenue of $3.6B (-0.5%) vs. $4.3B. (PR)
  • Cameron International (CAM): Q1 EPS of $0.59 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $1.3B (-6.1%) vs. $1.4B. (PR)
  • CapitalSource (CSE): Q1 EPS of -$0.36 misses by $0.11. (PR)
  • Continental Resources (CLR): Q1 EPS of -$0.03 misses by $0.03. Revenue of $97M (-57.6%) vs. $112M. (PR)
  • Corrections Corp. of America (CXW): Q1 EPS of $0.29 beats by $0.03. Revenue of $404M (+6.5%) vs. $403M. (PR)
  • Dynegy (DYN): Q1 EPS of -$0.40 misses by $0.36. Revenue of $904M (+66.5%) vs. $683M. (PR)
  • Frontier Communications (FTR): Q1 EPS of $0.12 misses by $0.02. Revenue of $538M (-5.5%) vs. $547M. (PR)
  • General Motors (GM): Q1 EPS of -$9.66 beats by $1.39. Revenue of $22.43B (-47.1%) vs. consensus of $20.19B. Excluding special items, adjusted net loss was $5.9B. Cash fell to $11.6B from $14.2B. Shares +4.8% premarket (7:20 ET). (PR)
  • Holly (HOC): Q1 EPS of $0.44 beats by $0.14. Revenue of $651M (-56%) vs. $590M. (PR)
  • HRPT Properties Trust (HRP): Q1 EPS of $0.28 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $217M (+7.8%) vs. $216M. (PR)
  • Lamar Advertising Company (LAMR): Q1 EPS of -$0.23 beats by $0.06. Revenue of $247M (-12.6%) vs. $244M. (PR)
  • Lexington Realty Trust (LXP): Q1 EPS of $0.38 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $101M (-4.5%) vs. $99M. (PR)
  • Linn Energy LLC (LINE): Q1 EPS of $0.48 beats by $0.09. Revenue of $204M (+19.2%) vs. $171M. (PR)
  • MetroPCS Communications (PCS): Q1 EPS of $0.12 beats by $0.03. Revenue of $795M (+20.1%) vs. $818M. (PR)
  • Nasdaq (NDAQ): Q1 EPS of $0.48 beats by $0.01. Revenue of $369M (-11.9%) vs. $379M. (PR)
  • Omega Healthcare Investors (OHI): Q1 FFO of $0.37 in-line. Revenue of $49M (+20.3%) vs. $42M. Reaffirms FY '09 FFO of $1.47-$1.50. (PR)
  • Perrigo Company (PRGO): FQ3 EPS of $0.50 beats by $0.05. Revenue of $506M (+5.3%) vs. $527M. Issues upside EPS guidance for FY '09 of $1.80-1.90, vs. previous guidance of $1.75-1.90. Shares +4.3% premarket (8:00 ET). (PR)
  • Plains Exploration & Production Company (PXP): Q1 EPS of $1.23 beats by $0.96. Revenue of $228.5M (-63.3%) vs. $302.7M. (PR)
  • Teradata Corporation (TDC): Q1 EPS of $0.26 beats by $0.12. Revenue of $367M (-2.1%) vs. $345M. (PR)

Earnings: Wednesday After Close

  • Anadarko Petroleum (APC): Q1 EPS of -$0.53 beats by $0.09. Revenue of $1.6B (-46.4%) vs. $1.7B. Shares +0.85% AH. (PR)
  • Atwood Oceanics (ATW): FQ2 EPS of $0.88 beats by $0.09. Revenue of $141M (+24%) vs. $139M. Shares +4.4% AH. (PR)
  • Avis Budget Group (CAR): Q1 EPS of -$0.44 beats by $0.19. Revenue of $1.19B (-17.4%) vs. $1.25B. Shares -5.75% AH. (PR)
  • Brookdale Senior Living (BKD): Q1 EPS of -$0.13 beats by $0.20. Revenue of $498M (+3.6%) vs. $495M. (PR)
  • Churchill Downs (CHDN): Q1 EPS of -$0.37 beats by $0.21. Revenue of $73.7M (+12.2%) vs. $67.6M. (PR)
  • Cisco Systems (CSCO): FQ3 EPS of $0.30 beats by $0.05. Revenue of $8.2B vs. $8.07B. CEO John Chambers' comments on the earnings call will be critical, as always. Shares +2.5% AH. (PR)
  • Eagle Bulk Shipping (EGLE): Q1 EPS of $0.37 in-line. Revenue of $56M (+52.6%) vs. $54.4M. Utilization rate 99.6%. Shares -4.5% AH. (PR)
  • Embarq (EQ): Q1 EPS of $1.39 beats by $0.10. Revenue of $1.35B (-7.6%) in-line. (PR)
  • Federal Realty Investment Trust (FRT): Q1 FFO of $0.99 in-line. Revenue of $131M (+3.8%) vs. $130M. Shares flat AH. (PR)
  • Global Industries (GLBL): Q1 EPS of $0.17 beats by $0.10. Revenue of $269.5M (-10.6%) vs. $264M. Shares +2.6% AH. (PR)
  • Goodrich Petroleum (GDP): Q1 EPS of -$0.05 misses by $0.02. Revenue of $28.5M (-38.6%) vs. $21M. Shares -1.8% AH. (PR)
  • Home Properties (HME): Q1 FFO of $0.79 beats by $0.01. Revenue of $129M vs. $122M. Shares flat AH. (PR)
  • ION Geophysical (IO): Q1 EPS of -$0.10 misses by $0.02. Revenue of $107M (-23.8%) vs. $133M. Shares -9.5% AH. (PR)
  • Limelight Networks (LLNW): Q1 EPS of -$0.02 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $33.2M (+9.9%) vs. $32.7M. Shares -0.4% AH. (PR)
  • Macrovision (MVSN): Q1 EPS of $0.31 beats by $0.10. Revenue of $111.2M (+7.2%) vs. $106.7M. Narrows full-year guidance essentially in-line with previous range. Shares +4.7% AH. (PR)
  • Murphy Oil (MUR): Q1 EPS of $0.37 beats by $0.12. Revenue of $3.45B (-47.1%) vs. $4.09B. Sees Q2 EPS in-line. Shares flat AH. (PR)
  • News Corp. (NWS): FQ3 EPS of $0.16 in-line. Revenue of $7.4B vs. $7.71B. Says results "directly reflect the continuing weakness of the global economic climate." Shares +3.3% AH. (PR)
  • ON Semiconductor (ONNN): Q1 EPS of $0.03 beats by $0.10. Revenue of $379M vs. $362M. "Due to the slowdown in the macro economy, along with the reduction of inventory levels throughout the supply chain, we believe the semiconductor industry and ON Semiconductor shipped fewer products than the end-market consumed." Shares +8.9% AH. (PR)
  • Penn Virginia (PVA): Q1 EPS of $0.06 in-line. Revenue of $199M (-20.1%) vs. $221M. Shares +0.3% AH. (PR)
  • Prudential Financial (PRU): Q1 EPS of $1.05 beats by $0.22. Revenue of $1M vs. $1M. Shares +4% AH. (PR)
  • Regency Centers (REG): Q1 FFO of $0.78 beats by $0.01. Cuts quarterly dividend by 36% to $0.46. Shares flat AH. (PR)
  • Symantec (SYMC): FQ4 EPS of $0.38 beats by $0.03. Revenue of $1.49B (+1.49%) in-line. Sees FQ1 EPS and revenue in-line. Shares -0.8% AH. (PR)
  • Sunoco (SUN): Q1 EPS of $0.50 beats by $0.16. Revenue of $6.44B. "We continue to expect a challenging market for petroleum and chemical products due to ongoing economic weakness and additional global supply." Expects 2009 capex to be $200M lower than planned. Shares +0.5% AH. (PR)
  • Tenaris (TS): Q1 EPS of $0.62 misses by $0.06. Revenue of $2.45B (-6.7%) vs. $2.5B. Shares -1% AH. (PR)
  • Tesoro (TSO): Q1 EPS of $0.37 in-line. Revenue of $3.28B (-50.3%) in-line. Shares -2.5% AH. (PR)
  • The Andersons (ANDE): Q1 EPS of $0.27 beats by $0.33. Revenue of $697M (-2.2%) vs. $579M. Shares +14.2% AH. (PR)
  • THQ (THQI): FQ4 EPS of -$0.54 misses by $0.20. Revenue of $170M vs. $149M. Expects year-end cash balance at least $50M higher next year. Secures $35M credit line with BofA (BAC). Shares -0.3% AH. (PR)
  • USEC (USU): Q1 EPS of $0.02 misses by $0.07. Shares -5.1% AH. (PR)

Today's Markets

Another day of solid gains for overseas markets. Tokyo, open for the first time this week, led the way.


Complete Story »]]> ACM AMZN ANDE ANSS APC ATPG ATW AXP BAC BCE BK BKD C CAM CAR CHDN CLR COF COST CSCO CSE CXW DELL DIA DYN EGLE EQ FRT FTR GDP GE GJM GLBL GLD GMGMQ.PK GOOG GS HME HOC HRP IO JPM LAMR LINE LLNW LXP MET MS MSFT MUR MVSN NDAQ NWS OHI ONNN PCS PRGO PRU PVA PXP QQQQ REG SCGLY.PK SPY SUN SYMC TDC THQI TS TSO USO USU WFC YHOO SA Editor Rachael Granby Cleantech Is Hurting, But Some Firms Still Worth a Closer Look http://seekingalpha.com/article/127449-cleantech-is-hurting-but-some-firms-still-worth-a-closer-look?source=feed 127449 “Hard to value solar, wind and heavy capital equipment stocks right now,” wrote Rafael Coven, manager of the Cleantech Index, in an email to EnergyTechStocks.com’s managing editor last week. “Macro picture really blocks out the potential for cleantech and clean energy for the time being. Everyone has less cash and wealth and a lack of project financing is severe.”

The recent performance of PowerShares Cleantech Portfolio (PZD), which tracks the Cleantech Index, reflects the depressed state of cleantech, trading late last week at less than 50% of its 2008 pre-recession high.

]]> Tue, 24 Mar 2009 03:05:09 -0400 Bill Paul Bill Paul submits:

“Hard to value solar, wind and heavy capital equipment stocks right now,” wrote Rafael Coven, manager of the Cleantech Index, in an email to EnergyTechStocks.com’s managing editor last week. “Macro picture really blocks out the potential for cleantech and clean energy for the time being. Everyone has less cash and wealth and a lack of project financing is severe.”

The recent performance of PowerShares Cleantech Portfolio (PZD), which tracks the Cleantech Index, reflects the depressed state of cleantech, trading late last week at less than 50% of its 2008 pre-recession high.


Complete Story »]]> ANSS ENS ERFSF.PK KAI PZD TLVT WFIFF.PK Bill Paul ANSYS, Inc., Q4 2008 Earnings Call Transcript http://seekingalpha.com/article/123005-ansys-inc-q4-2008-earnings-call-transcript?source=feed 123005 ANSYS, Inc. (ANSS)

Q4 2008 Earnings Call

February 26, 2009, 10:30 am ET

]]> Thu, 26 Feb 2009 18:57:10 -0500 ANSYS, Inc. (ANSS)

Q4 2008 Earnings Call

February 26, 2009, 10:30 am ET


Complete Story »]]> ANSS 19 'Bathwater Babies' for the Week http://seekingalpha.com/article/114206-19-bathwater-babies-for-the-week?source=feed 114206 At the end of each trading week, Hillbent scans the market for extremely oversold stocks with a proprietary "A" (strongest) or "B" (next strongest) ranking in terms of positive fundamentals for revenue and earnings stability. The generated result is better known as the "Weekly Babies With Bathwater" watchlist.

Past observations have revealed that such candidates may experience reversal corrections to the upside once the market reconfirms that their fundamentals remain solidly intact.

]]> Sun, 11 Jan 2009 08:22:54 -0500 J Clinton Hill J Clinton Hill submits:

At the end of each trading week, Hillbent scans the market for extremely oversold stocks with a proprietary "A" (strongest) or "B" (next strongest) ranking in terms of positive fundamentals for revenue and earnings stability. The generated result is better known as the "Weekly Babies With Bathwater" watchlist.

Past observations have revealed that such candidates may experience reversal corrections to the upside once the market reconfirms that their fundamentals remain solidly intact.


Complete Story »]]> AFAM ALGT ANSS BABY CNQR GTIV HOGS LMNX LOPE MDRX NAT NTES QCOR RCI RYAAY SHOO SXCI TRI VIA.B J Clinton Hill 10 Investment Candidates from Forbes' 'Best Small Companies' List - Part III http://seekingalpha.com/article/110299-10-investment-candidates-from-forbes-best-small-companies-list-part-iii?source=feed 110299 This is a continuation of my search for the best small companies from the 200 listed in Forbes 2008.

You can refer to the previous results here: 1-15 | 16-32

]]> Thu, 11 Dec 2008 09:32:22 -0500 Jae Jun Jae Jun submits:

This is a continuation of my search for the best small companies from the 200 listed in Forbes 2008.

You can refer to the previous results here: 1-15 | 16-32


Complete Story »]]> ANSS CHTT DIOD FDS JOSB NILE NTRI RATE RAVN VIVO Jae Jun 5 Bear Market Tech Opportunities http://seekingalpha.com/article/108826-5-bear-market-tech-opportunities?source=feed 108826 Waking up to the markets could make some feel as if the sky is falling and the world around them is plummeting into a deep abyss with no promise of return. Although the immediate future looks glum, there is no need to mope around, chum. Even bear markets such as this one present investors with opportunities. I feel that everyone is so wound up in the present that they fail to look forward beyond this crisis. I will admit the current situation is quite grave, but it is time to wipe away those tears and work to put that excess cash into the market, specifically within a few solid tech plays

Why do I need more cash?

]]> Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:26:47 -0500 Santosh Sankar Santosh Sankar submits:

Waking up to the markets could make some feel as if the sky is falling and the world around them is plummeting into a deep abyss with no promise of return. Although the immediate future looks glum, there is no need to mope around, chum. Even bear markets such as this one present investors with opportunities. I feel that everyone is so wound up in the present that they fail to look forward beyond this crisis. I will admit the current situation is quite grave, but it is time to wipe away those tears and work to put that excess cash into the market, specifically within a few solid tech plays

Why do I need more cash?


Complete Story »]]> ANSS CERN CMTL FDS SOHU Santosh Sankar Ansys Inc. Q3 2008 Earnings Call Transcript http://seekingalpha.com/article/104623-ansys-inc-q3-2008-earnings-call-transcript?source=feed 104623 ANSYS, Inc. (ANSS)

Q3 FY08 Earnings Call

November 6, 2008, 10:30 AM ET

]]> Fri, 07 Nov 2008 00:20:19 -0500 ANSYS, Inc. (ANSS)

Q3 FY08 Earnings Call

November 6, 2008, 10:30 AM ET


Complete Story »]]> ANSS Ansys Inc. Q2 2008 Earnings Call Transcript http://seekingalpha.com/article/89851-ansys-inc-q2-2008-earnings-call-transcript?source=feed 89851 Ansys Inc. (ANSS)

Q2 2008 Earnings Call

August 7, 2008 10:30 am ET

]]> Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:10:24 -0400 Ansys Inc. (ANSS)

Q2 2008 Earnings Call

August 7, 2008 10:30 am ET


Complete Story »]]> ANSS ANSYS, Inc. Q1 2008 Earnings Call Transcript http://seekingalpha.com/article/77083-ansys-inc-q1-2008-earnings-call-transcript?source=feed 77083

ANSYS, Inc. (ANSS)

Q1 2008 Earnings Call Transcript

]]> Tue, 13 May 2008 15:50:11 -0400

ANSYS, Inc. (ANSS)

Q1 2008 Earnings Call Transcript


Complete Story »]]> ANSS Ansys Investors Don’t Like Ansoft Acquisition http://seekingalpha.com/article/70587-ansys-investors-dont-like-ansoft-acquisition?source=feed 70587 This morning Ansys (ANSS) announced it would buy Ansoft (ANST) for $16.25 per share in cash and 0.431882 shares of Ansys. A conference call discussing the deal was webcast at 11:30 EST.

Ansoft is a leading developer of high-performance EDA software. The software is based on more than 25 years of research and development by world-renowned experts in electromagnetics, circuit and system simulation. Engineers use Ansoft products to simulate high-performance electronics designs found in mobile communication and Internet devices, broadband networking components and systems, integrated circuits, printed circuit boards and electromechanical systems. The company’s products are used by blue chip companies as well as small- and medium-sized enterprises around the world.

]]> Mon, 31 Mar 2008 15:18:25 -0400 William Trent William Trent submits:

This morning Ansys (ANSS) announced it would buy Ansoft (ANST) for $16.25 per share in cash and 0.431882 shares of Ansys. A conference call discussing the deal was webcast at 11:30 EST.

Ansoft is a leading developer of high-performance EDA software. The software is based on more than 25 years of research and development by world-renowned experts in electromagnetics, circuit and system simulation. Engineers use Ansoft products to simulate high-performance electronics designs found in mobile communication and Internet devices, broadband networking components and systems, integrated circuits, printed circuit boards and electromechanical systems. The company’s products are used by blue chip companies as well as small- and medium-sized enterprises around the world.


Complete Story »]]> ANSS ANST William Trent Ansys's Valuation Continues to Justify My Love http://seekingalpha.com/article/65704-ansys-s-valuation-continues-to-justify-my-love?source=feed 65704 I have long been a fan of engineering simulation software developer Ansys (ANSS), and in January I bought shares for my personal account. Thursday I was rewarded for that position when ANSYS reported earnings. In addition to beating the consensus estimate for 2007, the company raised guidance for the coming quarter and full year.

The Company currently expects the following for the quarter ending March 31, 2008:

  • GAAP revenue in the range of $103 - $106 million
  • GAAP diluted earnings per share of $0.24 - $0.26
  • Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share of $0.33 - $0.34

]]> Fri, 22 Feb 2008 06:01:40 -0500 William Trent William Trent submits:

I have long been a fan of engineering simulation software developer Ansys (ANSS), and in January I bought shares for my personal account. Thursday I was rewarded for that position when ANSYS reported earnings. In addition to beating the consensus estimate for 2007, the company raised guidance for the coming quarter and full year.

The Company currently expects the following for the quarter ending March 31, 2008:

  • GAAP revenue in the range of $103 - $106 million
  • GAAP diluted earnings per share of $0.24 - $0.26
  • Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share of $0.33 - $0.34


Complete Story »]]> ANSS William Trent A Smorgasbord of Tech Bargains - Barron's http://seekingalpha.com/article/57431-a-smorgasbord-of-tech-bargains-barron-s?source=feed 57431

Cisco's (CSCO) CEO John Chambers "put the fear of God" into tech investors when he warned his company was seeing softening tech spending among domestic enterprise customers. Barron's says the ensuing drop was likely overdone, and notes some bargains in what promises to be a 2008 of "solid but uninspiring" tech sector growth.

]]> Sun, 16 Dec 2007 14:02:00 -0500 SA Editor Eli Hoffmann

Cisco's (CSCO) CEO John Chambers "put the fear of God" into tech investors when he warned his company was seeing softening tech spending among domestic enterprise customers. Barron's says the ensuing drop was likely overdone, and notes some bargains in what promises to be a 2008 of "solid but uninspiring" tech sector growth.


Complete Story »]]> ADBE ALU ANSS CNET CSCO EBAY GOOG INAP IPG MENT MOT NTDOY.PK NYT ONNN ORCL PALM RIMM SONS SSYS TRMB YHOO SA Editor Eli Hoffmann Parsing the Engineering Software Earnings Calls: Ansys, Dassault and Parametric http://seekingalpha.com/article/46483-parsing-the-engineering-software-earnings-calls-ansys-dassault-and-parametric?source=feed 46483 I am taking a look at a couple of the engineering software stocks, and a review of recent earnings call transcripts can frequently be a good place to start.

Ansys (ANSS) provides software that simulates physical forces such as turbulence, heat and pressure. Seldom was heard a discouraging word on that call, and for good reason. The closest I could come to was:

]]> Thu, 06 Sep 2007 04:52:51 -0400 William Trent William Trent submits:

I am taking a look at a couple of the engineering software stocks, and a review of recent earnings call transcripts can frequently be a good place to start.

Ansys (ANSS) provides software that simulates physical forces such as turbulence, heat and pressure. Seldom was heard a discouraging word on that call, and for good reason. The closest I could come to was:


Complete Story »]]> ANSS DASTY PMTC William Trent The Risk/Return Tradeoff For Technology Stocks http://seekingalpha.com/article/44717-the-risk-return-tradeoff-for-technology-stocks?source=feed 44717 The problem here is how do we define ‘consistently’? We know it is cannot be ‘guaranteed’ because that would be ‘risk-free’. So it boils down to how much risk (read - portfolio fluctuation) you are willing to take before you bail out of your stocks. To answer this question I looked back last 10 years and collected 506 tech companies that satisfy the following criteria

1. The company is in the ‘Technology Sector’
2. The stock was trading from Jul 1997 till Jul 2007, That means no new IPO companies like Google (GOOG) were considered.
3. The stock was traded in NASDAQ, NYSE or AMEX market (no OTC).

]]> Thu, 16 Aug 2007 08:37:00 -0400 Shirish Jamthe The problem here is how do we define ‘consistently’? We know it is cannot be ‘guaranteed’ because that would be ‘risk-free’. So it boils down to how much risk (read - portfolio fluctuation) you are willing to take before you bail out of your stocks. To answer this question I looked back last 10 years and collected 506 tech companies that satisfy the following criteria

1. The company is in the ‘Technology Sector’
2. The stock was trading from Jul 1997 till Jul 2007, That means no new IPO companies like Google (GOOG) were considered.
3. The stock was traded in NASDAQ, NYSE or AMEX market (no OTC).


Complete Story »]]> AAPL ACS ADBE ANSS ANST APH ARXX AXE CADA CAI CDII CDWC CMTL CTXS DAKT DIOD DST ERTS FISV INOD INTU MANA MCRS MSCC NATI NSSC PLCM PRGS QSII RIMG RSTI SCSC SILC SYMC THQI YHOO Shirish Jamthe Ansys Raises Guidance Again: Shades of Adobe 10 Years Ago http://seekingalpha.com/article/43447-ansys-raises-guidance-again-shades-of-adobe-10-years-ago?source=feed 43447 ANSS), a global innovator of simulation software and technologies designed to optimize product development processes, Thursday announced a new Company record for second quarter non-GAAP operating results.

GAAP revenue of $92.2 million in the second quarter of 2007 compared to $62.3 million in the second quarter of 2006 and an $89 million consensus. Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share of $0.30 in the second quarter of 2007 compared to $0.21 in the second quarter of 2006 and a $0.24 consensus. GAAP diluted earnings per share of $0.23 in the second quarter of 2007 as compared to GAAP diluted loss per share of ($0.27) in the second quarter of 2006.

If that wasn’t enough, the company also raised guidance (again). The company now expects to earn $0.26-$0.27 per share in the third quarter rather than the $0.24 consensus and $1.14-$1.16 for the year rather than $1.03.

]]> Fri, 03 Aug 2007 04:53:55 -0400 William Trent William Trent submits: ANSYS, Inc. (ANSS), a global innovator of simulation software and technologies designed to optimize product development processes, Thursday announced a new Company record for second quarter non-GAAP operating results.

GAAP revenue of $92.2 million in the second quarter of 2007 compared to $62.3 million in the second quarter of 2006 and an $89 million consensus. Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share of $0.30 in the second quarter of 2007 compared to $0.21 in the second quarter of 2006 and a $0.24 consensus. GAAP diluted earnings per share of $0.23 in the second quarter of 2007 as compared to GAAP diluted loss per share of ($0.27) in the second quarter of 2006.

If that wasn’t enough, the company also raised guidance (again). The company now expects to earn $0.26-$0.27 per share in the third quarter rather than the $0.24 consensus and $1.14-$1.16 for the year rather than $1.03.


Complete Story »]]> ANSS William Trent ANSYS Q2 2007 Earnings Call Transcript http://seekingalpha.com/article/43380-ansys-q2-2007-earnings-call-transcript?source=feed 43380

TRANSCRIPT SPONSOR
Wall Street Breakfast

ANSYS, Inc. (ANSS)
Q2 2007 Earnings Call
August 2, 2007, 10:30 AM ET

]]> Thu, 02 Aug 2007 17:44:10 -0400

TRANSCRIPT SPONSOR
Wall Street Breakfast

ANSYS, Inc. (ANSS)
Q2 2007 Earnings Call
August 2, 2007, 10:30 AM ET


Complete Story »]]> ANSS Companies With 100% Earnings Beat Rates Over Last Few Years http://seekingalpha.com/article/40953-companies-with-100-earnings-beat-rates-over-last-few-years?source=feed 40953 Hickey and Walters (Bespoke) submit: From our in-depth earnings work, we looked at the quarterly reports of over 2,700 stocks to find the ones that have beaten earnings estimates the most.

Below we highlight those stocks (with at least 10 quarterly reports) that have beaten Reuters earnings per share estimates 100% of the time since our analysis begins (the last quarter of 2001). We also include when the companies are expected to report this quarter as well as their average absolute one-day price change in reaction to earnings.

]]> Fri, 13 Jul 2007 03:30:58 -0400 Bespoke Investment Group Hickey and Walters (Bespoke) submit:

Hickey and Walters (Bespoke) submit: From our in-depth earnings work, we looked at the quarterly reports of over 2,700 stocks to find the ones that have beaten earnings estimates the most.

Below we highlight those stocks (with at least 10 quarterly reports) that have beaten Reuters earnings per share estimates 100% of the time since our analysis begins (the last quarter of 2001). We also include when the companies are expected to report this quarter as well as their average absolute one-day price change in reaction to earnings.


Complete Story »]]> ANSS BBBB CHK CI COH COLM CRDN DECK GES GOOG GPRO HZO IEP IPS ISRG LLL LRW RS STRA SYMC TDY TRMB UNH VTIV WCG WRB Bespoke Investment Group Wall Street's Undercovered Winners http://seekingalpha.com/article/39981-wall-street-s-undercovered-winners?source=feed 39981 shared a simple screen that focused on stocks with encouraging attributes but little Wall Street coverage.

The results are in, and the list, which included names from several economic sectors, produced above-market returns.

Note in the results below that I omitted Laureate Education (LAUR), which I had mentioned in the article as in the process of being acquired as well as Hub Group (same reason, but I had neglected to mention it).

]]> Tue, 03 Jul 2007 05:05:47 -0400 Alan Brochstein ab analytical servicesAlan Brochstein, CFA submits: Last quarter, I shared a simple screen that focused on stocks with encouraging attributes but little Wall Street coverage.

The results are in, and the list, which included names from several economic sectors, produced above-market returns.

Note in the results below that I omitted Laureate Education (LAUR), which I had mentioned in the article as in the process of being acquired as well as Hub Group (same reason, but I had neglected to mention it).


Complete Story »]]> ANSS ARII BDE CEDC CEMJQ.PK CLF CNS CRS CRZO CXG DIOD DRQ GFIG GWR HEI HL HURN IIVI IMA ITRI KSU MATK MLI MORN NRGY NTG NUAN OII PCR PETD PKD PLLL SCMR SPN TNL VLCM VTIV WXS Alan Brochstein