Q3 2009 Earnings Call

October 28, 2009 11:00 AM ET

• GMAC needs third lifeline. GMAC Financial Services and the Treasury are reportedly in advanced talks to prop up the auto-lender with its third helping of taxpayer money, making it the first of the stress-tested banks to need additional government capital. Treasury will likely inject another $2.8-5.6B into GMAC in exchange for preferred shares, bringing its total investment in GMAC thus far to $15.3-18.1B, for which it currently owns 35.4% of the firm. Sources say the FDIC has also agreed to backstop another $2.9B of GMAC's debt to facilitate day-to-day lending. The government's willingness to deepen taxpayer exposure to GMAC reflects the troubled lender's importance to the revival of the auto industry.
• Consumer confidence dips. A lower-than-expected consumer confidence reading sent a chill through markets Tuesday. Conference Board's index came in at 47.7, down from 53.4 a month ago, and lower than consensus estimates of 53.2. A plunge in expectations (65.7 vs. 73.3 in Sept.) led the way down. "Consumers' assessment of present-day conditions has grown less favorable, with labor market conditions playing a major role in this grimmer assessment," the group said, noting its Present Situation Index is now at a 26-year low. Analysts struggled to find an obvious explanation for the decline, but noted the drop didn't bode well for recovery hopes.
• Risk appetite withers. State Street's investor confidence index fell 10 points to 108.4, the lowest since April, with the most pronounced decline seen among North American investors (-12.8 to 101.1). European investors were also much more subdued (-9.3 to 101.8), but confidence rose among Asian investors, albeit to a level that still trails the U.S. and Europe (+2.4 to 95.3). "Institutional investors have paused to take stock," index co-developer Ken Froot said. "While the U.S. earnings season has been relatively robust so far, the number of positive surprises that have been observed in employment, retail sales, manufacturing and trade figures has diminished considerably, and this may be influencing investor risk appetite."
• Easing Hilton's towering debt load. Sources say Blackstone (BX) is in talks with lenders to shave about $5B off Hilton Worldwide's $20B debt load. Specifically, Blackstone is considering coughing up another $800M in equity to buy back debt at a discount (on top of its $5.6B original investment), and would like to extend debt maturing in 2013 to 2016. With capital markets reopening over the past six months, private-equity firms are using a variety of schemes (exchange offers, repurchases, tender offers) to refinance and extend the maturities on highly-leveraged debt taken on during the heyday, staving off default.
• Panel backs hedge-fund clampdown. The House Financial Services Committee overwhelmingly passed a bill that would require advisers to hedge funds, private equity and offshore funds to register with regulators, bringing some transparency to the loosely-policed industry. The bill, however, exempts venture capital funds and funds with less than $150M - which SEC chief Mary Schapiro warned "could come back to haunt investors in later years."
• Tackling too-big-to-fail. Rep. Barney Frank unveiled legislation to monitor and dissolve systemically critical financial institutions. Under the proposal, costs for taking over and euthanizing a failed bank would be paid for by shareholders and bondholders, with taxpayers temporarily covering the overflow until an assessment is rendered against the failed bank's surviving peers. A council of regulators - including the FDIC, Treasury, Fed and SEC - would be in charge of monitoring the conglomerates and invoking a wind-down if necessary.
• That's a good czar. While so-called pay czar Kenneth Feinberg's new rules for TARP backed firms cut compensation by about half, they also boosted base salaries by 14% to an average of $438K/year after executives complained, according to an analysis in today's WSJ. The move appears to contradict Feinberg's stated goal of tying pay to long-term performance, and "deepens the confusion and skepticism" surrounding the types of pay systems the government is promoting.
• Ford shows why it's #1. Consumer Reports' much-awaited yearly car reliability survey held few surprises, with foreign automakers dominating its top-10 list, and domestic brands prominently featured on its least-reliable tally. Scion took top spot, followed by Honda (HMC), Toyota (TM) and Infiniti (NSANY). Ford (F), at #10, was the only U.S. carmaker to make the grade. Least reliable brands were Chrysler, Cadillac, Dodge and Jeep. Media reports yesterday claimed Fiat models will drive Chrysler's turnaround efforts, but with new cars not due until 2012, it's unclear whether Chrysler has enough staying power in its balance sheet.
• Ruiz pegged as AMD insider. Sources say former AMD (AMD) CEO Hector Ruiz is the insider government officials have identified as providing nonpublic information to Galleon's insider trading scheme. Prosecutors released fragments of recorded conversations between an unnamed AMD executive and a Galleon employee in which they allegedly discuss the timing of the spinoff of AMD’s plants before the deal was announced in Sept. 2008. Ruiz hasn’t been charged, and prosecutors don’t say he profited from insider trading.
• Gloom on economy spreads. Americans are growing increasingly pessimistic about the economy after a mild upswing in September, according to WSJ/NBC's monthly poll released Wednesday. For the first time during the Obama presidency, a majority of those polled now see the country as being on the wrong track. Fifty-eight percent think the economic slide still has a ways to go, up from 52% in September, while only 29% think we've hit bottom, down from 35%.
• Mortgage apps drop for second straight week. Mortgage applications fell another 12.3% following a 13.7% drop last week, even as the average rate for 30-year mortgages inched down to 5.04% from 5.07% a week ago. Refinancing was 16.2% lower.
• Ford picks Geely. Ford (F) selected a group led by China's Geely as the preferred bidder for its Volvo unit, a senior Geely executive said. Geely and Ford will now enter into exclusive negotiations over Volvo.

Earnings: Wed. Before Open

• ArcelorMittal (MT): Q3 income of $1.59B vs. consensus of $1.78B. Sees Q4 income of $2-2.4B. "We have seen the first signs of recovery in Q3... We should continue to see further gradual improvement through 2010, although the operating environment remains challenging." Shares -0.8% premarket. (PR)
• Ashland (ASH): FQ4 EPS of $0.96 beats by $0.06. Revenue of $2.11B (-4.6%) in-line. "Demand appears to be showing some signs of growth in many end markets." (PR)
• BorgWarner (BWA): Q3 EPS of $0.15 beats by $0.05. Revenue of $1.03B (-22%) in-line. "We continue to be cautiously optimistic about Q4." (PR)
• ConocoPhillips (COP): Q3 EPS of $1.00 beats by $0.06. Shares -0.1% premarket. (PR)
• Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (EPD): Q3 EPS of $0.36 misses by $0.06. Revenue of $4.6B (-27%) vs. $4.73B. (PR)
• CenterPoint Energy (CNP): Q3 EPS of $0.31 misses by $0.01. Revenue of $1.58B (-37.3%) in-line. (PR)
• Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE): Q3 EPS of $0.51 beats by $0.05. Revenue of $5.57B (-3%) vs. $5.71B. (PR)
• General Dynamics (GD): Q3 EPS of $1.48 beats by $0.08. Revenue of $7.72B (+8.1%) in-line. (PR)
• Goodyear Tire & Rubber (GT): Q3 EPS of $0.45 beats by $0.05. Revenue of $4.38B (-15.2%) in-line. Shares +1.8% premarket. (PR)
• Hess (HES): Q3 EPS of $1.05 vs. consensus of $0.55. Revenue of $7.27B vs. $7.75B. Shares +1.8% premarket. (PR)
• Jones Apparel Group (JNY): Q3 EPS of $0.46 beats by $0.19. Revenue of $856M (-11.3%) vs. $867M. "We are cautiously optimistic that the holiday season will generate better financial results across the industry." Shares -13.8% premarket. (PR)
• International Paper (IP): Q3 EPS of $0.37 beats by $0.13. Revenue of $5.92B (-13.1%) in-line. "At the end of Q3, we began to see some modest improvements in demand in some segments of our paper and packaging businesses." Shares +3.8% premarket. (PR)
• Lazard (LAZ): Q3 EPS of $0.41 beats by $0.04. Revenue of $431M (-1.3%) vs. $400M. Believes corporate defaults will remain at high levels, on a more global scale than during the last cycle, and therefore expects that its restructuring business will continue to be very active. (PR)
• Level 3 Communications (LVLT): Q3 EPS of -$0.10 in-line. Revenue of $916M (-14.4%) vs. $926M. Shares -4.4% premarket. (PR)
• MeadWestvaco (MWV): Q3 EPS of $0.50 beats by $0.23. Revenue of $1.63B (-10.2%) in-line. "Given continued global economic uncertainty, future results are difficult to predict." (PR)
• Newell Rubbermaid (NWL): Q3 EPS of $0.38 beats by $0.03. Revenue of $1.45B (-17.7%) in-line. (PR)
• New York Community Bancorp (NYB): Q3 EPS of $0.26 in-line. "Although certain economic data suggests that the recession has ended, the Metro New York region we serve continues to be under duress." (PR)
• Nexen (NXY): Q3 EPS of C$0.23 beats by C$0.08. Revenue of C$1.1B (-50.4%) vs. $924M. Shares -0.1% premarket. (PR)
• Nomura (NMR): Q2 net income of ¥27.7B ($303M) vs. consensus of ¥11.5B. Revenue of ¥355B vs. ¥258B last year. Resumes ¥4/share dividend. (Bloomberg)
• Owens Corning (OC): Q3 EPS of $0.61 beats by $0.22. Revenue of $1.35B (-17.2%) in-line. On track to surpass $160M in cost savings this year. Shares +1.5% premarket. (PR)
• Praxair (PX): Q3 EPS of $1.02 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $2.29B (-19.8%) in-line. "Business conditions stabilized globally during the quarter... The strongest pick-up was in Asia and South America, where government stimulus programs have increased domestic demand and industrial production." (PR)
• Qwest Communications International (Q): Q3 EPS of $0.09 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $3.05B (-9.6%) in-line. Shares +3.5% premarket. (PR)
• SAP AG (SAP): Q3 net income of €435M vs. consensus of €454M. Sales of €2.51B vs. €2.63B. "While we are seeing signs of stabilization in the general environment, the market remains difficult. Q3 software and software-related service revenues came in lower than we expected mainly because of a particularly challenging environment in the emerging markets and Japan." Shares -7.6% premarket. (PR)
• Southern Company (SO): Q3 EPS of $0.99 beats by $0.01. Revenue of $4.68B (-13.8%) vs. $5.5B. (PR)
• SPX Corp. (SPW): Q3 EPS of $ beats by $. Revenue of $1.17B (-20.8%) in line. Sees full-year EPS of $3.80-4.00 vs. $3.96 consensus. "The global economic environment remains difficult and continues to impact our performance. Although some macroeconomic trends appear to be pointing toward a recovery, we expect our recovery to lag the broader economy." (PR)
• United Microelectronics (UMC): Q3 EPS of $0.08 beats by $0.04. Revenue of $853M (+11.1%) vs. $809M. (PR)
• WellPoint (WLP): Q3 EPS of $1.78 beats by $0.40. Revenue of $15.21B (+784%) in-line. Medical enrollment fell 1.5M to 35.3M, primarily due to the recession and a rise in unemployment. Shares -14.3% premarket. (PR)
• Wyndham (WYN): Q3 EPS of $0.58 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $1.02B (-17.1%) in-line. Shares +1% premarket. (PR)

Earnings: Tue. After Close

• Ace (ACE): Q3 EPS of $2.07 beats by $0.10. Revenue of $3.39B (-6%) vs. $3.33B. Expects meaningfully stronger revenue growth in Q4. Shares +2.3% AH. (PR)
• Amkor Technology (AMKR): Q3 EPS of $0.12 misses by $0.07. Revenue of $616M (-14%) vs. $604M. Sees Q4 EPS of $0.17-0.23 vs. $0.16. Shares -1.5% AH. (PR)
• Apollo Group (APOL): FQ4 EPS of $1.06 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $1.08B (+30%) vs. $1.03B. Announces an informal SEC inquiry into revenue recognition practices. Shares -19.8% AH. (PR)
• Boston Properties (BXP): Q3 FFO of $1.13 beats by $0.03. Revenue of $359M (+6%) vs. $353M. Sees Q4 FFO of $1.04-1.06 vs. $1.09. (PR)
• Century Aluminum Company (CENX): Q3 EPS of $0.45. Revenue of $229M (-59%) vs. $225M. Results impacted by $55.6M net after-tax benefit related to contract replacement. Shares +3.8% AH. (PR)
• Cephalon (CEPH): Q3 EPS of $1.62 beats by $0.21. Revenue of $549M (+10%) vs. $559M. Sees full-year sales of $2.125B-2.175B vs. $2.22B. Shares +1.4% AH. (PR)
• Chicago Bridge & Iron (CBI): Q3 EPS of $0.42 beats by $0.03. Revenue of $1B (-38%) vs. $1.1B. Shares +5.4% AH. (PR)
• Dreamworks Animation (DWA): Q3 EPS of $0.23 beats by $0.07. Revenue of $135M (-10.6%) vs. $129M. Shares +0.4% AH. (PR)
• E*TRADE Financial (ETFC): Q3 EPS of -$0.05 beats by $0.01. At-risk delinquencies declined by 10% and provision for loan losses decreased by $57M to $347M. Shares +0.6% AH. (PR)
• Fiserv (FISV): Q3 EPS of $0.92 in-line. Revenue of $992M (-5%) vs. $1.05B. Shares -2.6% AH. (PR)
• Harris (HRS): FQ1 EPS of $0.83 beats by $0.06. Revenue of $1.2B (-3%) in-line. Shares +5.4% AH. (PR)
• Illumina (ILMN): Q3 EPS of $0.17 misses by $0.03. Revenue of $158M (+5%) vs. $167M. Shares -14.8% AH. (PR)
• Integrated Device Technology (IDTI): FQ2 EPS of $0.07 beats by $0.05. Revenue of $140M (-30%) vs. $131M. Shares +4.2% AH. (PR)
• Massey Energy Company (MEE): Q3 EPS of $0.19 beats by $0.01. Revenue of $642M (-16%) vs. $677M. Shares -7.4% AH. (PR)
• McKesson (MCK): FQ2 EPS of $1.11 beats by $0.09. Revenue of $27.1B (+1.9%) vs. $26.75B. Sees full-year EPS of $4.45-4.60 vs. consensus of $4.29. Shares +1.9% AH. (PR)
• Molex (MOLX): FQ1 EPS of $0.18 beats by $0.03. Revenue of $674M (-20%) vs. $661M. Sees Q2 EPS of $0.11-0.15 vs. $0.19, including pretax restructuring charge of about $0.07 after tax. Shares -1% AH. (PR)
• Nalco Company (NLC): Q3 EPS of $0.20 misses by $0.05. Revenue of $957M (-14%) vs. $961M. (PR)
• Norfolk Southern (NSC): Q3 EPS of $0.81 beats by $0.03. Revenue of $2.1B (-29%) in-line. Shares +1.8% AH. (PR)
• Panera Bread Company (PNRA): Q3 EPS of $0.61 beats by $0.03. Revenue of $335M (+6%) vs. $334M. Same-store sales increased 3.3%. Sees Q4 EPS of $0.85-0.87 vs. $0.85, and full-year EPS of $3.05-3.15 vs. $3.04. Shares +5.2% AH. (PR)
• Pharmaceutical Product Development (PPDI): Q3 EPS of $0.32 in-line. Revenue of $341M (-13%) vs. $334M. Sees full-year EPS of $1.38-1.40 vs. $1.34, on revenue of $1.29B-1.32B vs. $1.34B. Shares +0.2% AH. (PR)
• RF Micro Devices (RFMD): FQ2 EPS of $0.13 beats by $0.04. Revenue of $255M (-6%) vs. $234M. Shares +7.1% AH. (PR)
• ValueClick (VCLK): Q3 EPS of $0.15 beats by $0.01. Revenue of $130M (-12.1%) vs. $129M. Sees Q4 EPS of $0.15-0.16 vs. consensus of $0.17 on revenue of $128-138M vs. $142M. Shares +1.8% AH. (PR)
• Visa (V): FQ4 EPS of $0.74 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $1.9B (+10%) vs. $1.8B. Sees 2010 revenue growth at lower end of 11-15% range. Sees 2011 growth of more than 20%. Shares +1.9% AH. (PR)

Today's Markets

Overseas markets moved lower Wednesday and futures are under pressure.

Investors will be inundated with earnings reports this week. More than 800 companies are scheduled to release third-quarter reports. Within this group are 149 S&P 500 members, including Dow components Chevron (CVX), Exxon Mobil (XOM), Procter & Gamble (PG) and Verizon (VZ).

We'll get our first look at how well the economy fared in the third quarter with the advance GDP report. Economists are expecting a return to growth with a 3.1% expansion. Any number below 3% could cause a negative reaction in the equity markets.

How to Play Earnings: Kroger (KR), Best Buy (BBY), Adobe (ADBE), Palm (PALM), Apple (AAPL), Salesforce (CRM), Ralcorp (RAH), Treehouse Foods (THS), Wal-Mart (WMT), Carnival (CCL), Discover Financial (DFS), Oracle (ORCL)

Q2 2009 Earnings Call Transcript

August 5, 2009 11:00 am ET

• Bottlers get a pop from Pepsi deal. PepsiCo (PEP) reached a deal to buy its two largest bottlers, Pepsi Bottling Group (PBG) and PepsiAmericas (PAS), for $7.8B, a 20% premium over its previous offers in April. PepsiCo will pay $36.50/share for Pepsi Bottling Group and $28.50/share for PepsiAmericas; the news sent Pepsi Bottling Group up 8.5% and PepsiAmericas up 9% in trading yesterday. PepsiCo says the purchases will speed the decision-making process and increase efficiencies.
• Sony's very cheap e-reader. Sony (SNE) is raising the stakes in its battle with Amazon (AMZN), introducing a new e-reader for $199, with a larger touchscreen version available for $299. The lower-priced e-reader will be the cheapest one sold in the U.S. as Sony looks to take a bigger share of the small but fast-growing market. The devices will go on sale in retail outlets like Best Buy and Wal-Mart, and Sony will also lower the prices it charges for downloads of best-sellers and new releases to bring its pricing largely in line with Amazon's.
• SEC ban could come in a flash. The SEC is considering a ban on flash trading to "eliminate the inequity that results from flash orders." Sen. Charles Schumer, who is strongly pushing for an end to flash trading, said SEC's Mary Schapiro assured him a ban is imminent. NYSE Euronext (NYX), which is the only one of the four major U.S. exchanges that doesn't use flash trading, hopes a ban will help it regain marketshare from fast-growing rival Direct Edge Holdings.
• More Microhoo details. As part of their search partnership, Microsoft (MSFT) will hire at least 400 Yahoo (YHOO) employees, affecting around 3% of Yahoo's workforce. According to a regulatory filing, Microsoft will also pay Yahoo $150M over three years to help cover Yahoo's costs in getting the partnership started. Yahoo's 88% revenue share could rise to 93% or drop to 83% in five years, depending on whether Microsoft terminates Yahoo's exclusivity for premium search advertising.
• GE settles civil suit. General Electric (GE) agreed to pay $50M to the SEC to settle civil fraud and other charges that its 2002 and 2003 financial statements misled investors. The SEC alleged that GE used improper accounting methods to raise earnings and avoid disappointing investors. GE neither admitted to nor denied the allegations.
• GMAC turns to Fed for money. Battered lender GMAC reported that its Q2 loss widened to $3.9B, with revenues falling 22% to $1.03B and loan loss provisions rising 50% from the year before to $1.16B. GMAC also confirmed it's in discussions with the Federal Reserve over $5.6B in new capital it needs to raise by November to satisfy the government's stress test requirements. Since the government has already invested $12.5B in GMAC, the lender is unlikely to find external investors willing to help with capital raising.
• Lloyds' loss. Lloyds Banking Group (LYG) reported a loss of £3.1B ($5.2B) in H1, in large part from its HBOS acquisition in January, but said loan loss provisions will come down 'significantly' in H2 and will continue to fall in 2010. The bank set aside £13.4B in H1 to cover bad loans vs. consensus of £11.3B. Shares +12% premarket (7:00 ET).
• GM position weakens on Opel bid. General Motors' opposition to Magna's (MGA) Opel bid is weakening, said German officials, and it will be up to Chancellor Angela Merkel to step in and remove any final obstacles holding up a deal. An agreement between the U.S., GM and Germany could be reached by the end of the week.
• Personal income falls. Personal income fell 1.3% in June as the effects of one-time stimulus checks wore off, marking the largest drop since January 2005 and a sharper decline than the expected -1%. Spending rose slightly more than expected, coming in at +0.4% vs. consensus of +0.3%. High unemployment, tight credit and falling home values contributed to the fall in personal incomes, and will continue to hurt consumer spending.
• MBA apps rise. Mortgage applications rose 4.4% from last week, MBA said. The average interest rate on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages fell to 5.17% from 5.36%.
• Retail sales. Chain store sales fell 1.6% in the first four weeks of July, Redbook said, worse than the -0.9% expected. According to ICSC, weekly sales were down 0.2%, and 0.7% Y/Y. A later sales-tax holiday trimmed comparisons but should lift sales this coming week.
• Home sales rise. June Pending Home Sales increased +3.6% from May to 94.6, the fifth straight monthly gain. May's index was revised from 90.7 to 91.3. The last five-month streak was in July 2003. NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun noted activity is much stronger for lower-priced homes.

Earnings: Wednesday Before Open

• Agrium (AGU): Q2 EPS of $2.35 beats by $0.54. Revenue of $4.1B (+6%) vs. $3.4B. (PR)
• Avnet (AVT): FQ4 EPS of $0.32 misses by $0.03. Revenue of $3.8B (-19.5%) vs. $3.7B. (PR)
• Baker Hughes (BHI): Q2 EPS of $0.41 misses by $0.05. Revenue of $2.3B (-22%) vs. $2.25B. Shares -0.9% premarket (6:40 ET). (PR)
• Boyd Gaming (BYD): Q2 EPS of $0.15 beats by $0.03. Revenue of $423M (-8%) vs. $432M. (PR)
• CenterPoint Energy (CNP): Q2 EPS of $0.24 beats by $0.01. Revenue of $2.7B (+63%) vs. $2.2B. (PR)
• Dean Foods (DF): Q2 EPS of $0.43 in-line. Revenue of $2.7B (-14%) vs. $2.8B. (PR)
• Devon Energy (DVN): Q2 EPS of $0.71 beats by $0.12. Revenue of $2.1B (-41%) vs. $1.9B. (PR)
• Fortress Investment (FIG): Q2 EPS of -$0.41 vs. consensus $0.07 (may not be comparable). Revenue of $117M (-29%) vs. $108M. Daniel Mudd becomes CEO effective August 11, 2009. (PR)
• Foster Wheeler (FWLT): Q2 EPS of $0.98 beats by $0.36. Revenue of $1.3B (-23%) vs. $1.4B. (PR)
• Garmin (GRMN): Q2 EPS of $0.83 beats by $0.32. Revenue of $669M (-27%) vs. $657M. (PR)
• Marsh & Mclennan Companies (MMC): Q2 EPS of $0.33 beats by $0.01. Revenue of $2.6B (-13%) vs. $2.8B. (PR)
• Overseas Shipholding Group (OSG): Q2 EPS of -$0.29 beats by $0.37. Revenue of $283M (-34%) vs. $260M. (PR)
• Owens Corning (OC): Q2 EPS of $0.49 beats by $0.40. Revenue of $1.2B (-23%) vs. $1.3B. (PR)
• PetroQuest Energy (PQ): Q2 EPS of $0.15 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $55M (-40.5%) vs. $54M. (PR)
• Polo Ralph Lauren (RL): FQ1 EPS of $0.76 beats by $0.26. Revenue of $1B (-8%) in-line. Shares +1.7% premarket (8:20 ET). (PR)
• Procter & Gamble (PG): FQ4 EPS of $0.80 beats by $0.01. Revenue of $19B (-11%) in-line. (PR)
• Quanta Services (PWR): Q2 EPS of $0.20 beats by $0.04. Revenue of $813M (-15%) vs. $861M. Issues downside Q3 EPS guidance $0.23-0.24 vs. $0.28 consensus; sees Q3 revenue of $840-870M vs. $1.04B consensus. (PR)
• Radian Group (RDN): Q2 EPS of $2.82 vs. consensus of -$1.58 (may not be comparable). Revenue of $577M (58%) vs. $284M. Shares +22% premarket (8:20 ET). (PR)
• R.R. Donnelley & Sons (RRD): Q2 EPS of $0.37 beats by $0.06. Revenue of $2.4B (-19%) in-line. (PR)
• Transocean (RIG): Q2 EPS of $2.79 misses by $0.24. Revenue of $2.9B (-8%) in-line. Shares -5.4% premarket (7:50 ET). (PR)

Earnings: Tuesday After Close

• Avis Budget Group (CAR): Q2 EPS of -$0.06 beats by $0.09. Revenue of $1.3B (-17%) vs. $1.4B. (PR)
• BMC Software (BMC): FQ1 EPS of $0.59 beats by $0.10. Revenue of $450M (+3%) vs. $441M. Sees full-year EPS of $2.47-2.57 vs. $2.42. Shares +0.3% AH. (PR)
• Boston Beer Company (SAM): Q2 EPS of $0.83 beats by $0.21. Revenue of $118M (+1%) vs. $121M. (PR)
• BRE Properties (BRE): Q2 FFO of $0.70 beats by $0.09. Revenue of $86M (flat) vs. $81M. Shares +8.6% AH. (PR)
• CBL & Associates Properties (CBL): Q2 FFO of $0.71 beats by $0.08. Revenue of $267M (-2%) vs. $256M. (PR)
• Central European Distribution (CEDC): Q2 EPS of $0.38 beats by $0.03. Revenue of $362M (-14%) vs. $338M. Shares +2.7% AH. (PR)
• Cephalon (CEPH): Q2 EPS of $1.44 beats by $0.14. Revenue of $539M (+11%) vs. $541M. Sees full-year EPS of $6.30-$6.40 vs. $5.64. Shares -3.8% AH. (PR)
• Coinstar (CSTR): Q2 EPS of $0.23 beats by $0.06. Revenue of $314M (+43%) vs. $305M. Sees full-year EPS of $0.80-0.86 vs. $0.77. Shares +3% AH. (PR)
• Ctrip.com (CTRP): Q2 EPS of $0.39 beats by $0.10. Revenue of $70M (+27%) vs. $65M. (PR)
• Denny's (DENN): Q2 EPS of $0.09 beats by $0.03. Revenue of $156M (-18%) in-line. Shares -1.6% AH. (PR)
• Electronic Arts (ERTS): FQ1 EPS of -$0.02 beats by $0.11. Revenue of $816M (+34%) vs. $730M. Sees full-year EPS of $1.00 vs. $0.97. Shares +3.7% AH. (PR)
• Exco Resources (XCO): Q2 EPS of $0.29 beats by $0.05. Revenue of $288M (-15%) vs. $270M. (PR)
• Federal Realty Investment Trust (FRT): Q2 FFO of $0.97 beats by $0.03. Revenue of $130M (+1%) vs. $131M. Sees full-year FFO of $3.82-3.87 vs. $3.50. (PR)
• GT Solar (SOLR): FQ1 EPS of $0.05 misses by $0.01. Revenue of $72M (+26%) vs. $86M. Shares -0.2% AH. (PR)
• HealthSouth (HLS): Q2 EPS of $0.39 beats by $0.15. Revenue of $484M (+6%) vs. $472M. Raises full-year EPS guidance to $1.15-1.25 from $0.85-0.90 vs. $1.05. Shares +3.5% AH. (PR)
• Jack in the Box (JACK): FQ3 EPS of $0.57 misses by $0.01. Revenue of $576M (-3%) vs. $585M. Q3 same-store sales down 1%. Shares -0.8% AH. (PR)
• Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL): Q2 EPS of $0.30 beats by $0.14. Revenue of $576M (-13%) vs. $582M. (PR)
• Kraft (KFT): Q2 EPS of $0.56 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $10.2B (-6%) vs. $10.4B. Shares -0.9% AH. (PR)
• Papa John's International (PZZA): Q2 EPS of $0.51 beats by $0.17. Revenue of $277M (-2%) vs. $273M. Sees full-year EPS of $1.38-1.44 vs. $1.47. Shares -2% AH. (PR)
• Petrohawk Energy (HK): Q2 EPS of $0.10 beats by $0.05. Revenue of $227M (-25%) vs. $258M. Shares -5.7% AH. (PR)
• Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD): Q2 EPS of $0.16 beats by $0.37. Revenue of $371M (-42%) vs. $376M. (PR)
• Protective Life (PL): Q2 EPS of $1.16 beats by $0.39. Revenue of $726M vs. $732M. Shares -1.8% AH. (PR)
• Sotheby's (BID): Q2 EPS of $0.18 misses by $0.10. Revenue of $167M (-48%) vs. $153M. (PR)
• Tessera Technologies (TSRA): Q2 EPS of $0.37 beats by $0.23. Revenue of $62M (+11%) vs. $60M. Shares +3.3% AH. (PR)
• UDR Inc. (UDR): Q2 FFO of $0.35 beats by $0.04. Revenue of $152M (+9%) vs. $148M. Sees full-year FFO of $1.23-1.35 vs. $1.22. Shares +0.1% AH. (PR)
• Unum Group (UNM): Q2 EPS of $0.65 beats by $0.04. Revenue of $2.6B (-2%) vs. $2.5B. Raises full-year EPS guidance to $2.50-2.60 vs. $2.48. (PR)
• ValueClick (VCLK): Q2 EPS of $0.23 beats by $0.09. Revenue of $130M (-18%) vs. $128M. Sees Q3 EPS of $0.19-0.20 vs. $0.15. Shares +1% AH. (PR)
• Whole Foods Market (WFMI): FQ3 EPS of $0.25 beats by $0.05. Revenue of $1.9B (+2%) in-line. Same-store sales down 1.1% in first four weeks of new quarter. Sees Q4 EPS of $0.16-0.18 vs. $0.14. Sees full-year EPS $0.80-0.82 vs. $0.75. Shares +7.7% AH. (PR)
• Yamana Gold (AUY): Q2 EPS of $0.13 beats by $0.04. Revenue of $270M vs. $299M. Shares +1.4% AH. (PR)

Today's Markets

Asian markets closed mostly down, European markets are showing small gains and U.S. futures are sending no clear signals.

At the end of each trading week, Hillbent scans for the equity market for potential anomalies which exhibit extremely oversold and overbought conditions. Past observations have revealed that such candidates may experience reversal corrections to the upside or downside once the market reconfirms that their fundamentals remain solidly intact or relatively poor. From a contrarian perspective, these lists may also serve as a precursor to changes in institutional sentiment and underlying fundamentals.

(The purpose of this report is not to provide specific recommendations, but instead serve as a time-saving reference tool and starting point for investment ideas as the upcoming trading week unfolds. Of course, the results generated are not always perfect and users are strongly encouraged to perform their own due diligence on these names. Note that overbought and oversold conditions are based upon proprietary algorithms and quantitative models instead of conventional technical analysis indicators. As a supplement to this report, please refer to our ETF Trends Report to determine if market direction trends support a bullish or bearish investment bias over short-term, intermediate, and long-term timeframes.)

With the Nasdaq now up 9 days in a row and the Dow up 6 days in a row, lots of individual stocks have put together solid winning streaks as well. In fact, 236 stocks in the Russell 1,000 are up 5 days in a row or more, and 71 are up at least 8 days in a row.

Below we highlight the stocks that are up at least 8 days in a row. Lots of big names are on the list including IP, SLB, WFMI, CSCO, GLW, TXN, INTC, SNDK, and YHOO. With futures up again this morning, we're likely to see a number of stocks with double-digit winning streaks by the end of the day.

By Dirk van Dijk

New home sales in April were essentially flat with March, rising to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 352,00, from 351,000, a rise of 0.3%. Given that the 90% confidence interval for these numbers is 14.5%, that is about as close to unchanged as you will get.

On Tuesday the S&P Case/Schiller home price index data was released and it was not good. The S&P stock index decided it was a good reason and traded 2.63% or 23.33 points higher. Yesterday, the National Association of Realtors released existing home sales data which turned out to be at least as good if not a bit better than expectations and the market decided to sell off 17.27 S&P points or 1.89%.

Rio Tinto (RTP), Banco Bradesco (BBD), Sociedad QM Chile (SQM), Owens Corning (OC), McDonald's (MCD), Procter & Gamble (PG)

Bullish Calls:

Panera Bread (PNRA): "I see the restaurants making a come back here... I want to double down Panera… I know that the chart looks bad."

Hedge fund firm D.E. Shaw & Co recently filed a Form 4 with the SEC that we wanted to update you on. D.E. Shaw & Co was selling Owens Corning (OC) shares on May 6th, 7th, and 8th. The hedge fund sold at the prices of $18.4592, $19.7434, $16.3648, $17.6882, and $16.3806. The bulk of its sales were made at $18.xx and $16.xx. In total, Shaw sold 2,207,313 shares over those three days. As per the SEC filing, Shaw now holds 10,887,829 shares after all its selling. You can also view D.E. Shaw's portfolio from Q4 2008 if you're curious as to what else the fund holds. As always, we'll continue to monitor its movements and will update its long equity portfolio in our hedge fund tracking series in a week or so.

D.E. Shaw & Co was founded in 1988 by David E. Shaw and manages around $33 billion as of December 1st 2008. The hedge fund focus on intertwining technology and finance and is a hedge fund, private equity firm, and technology development shop all in one. In Alpha's hedge fund rankings, D.E. Shaw is ranked 6th in the world. Taken from its website,

Q1 2009 Earnings Call

April 30, 2009 10:00 AM ET

• Chrysler Ch. 11 imminent. Talks between Chrysler lenders and the Treasury broke down Wednesday, making it all but certain that the automaker will file for bankruptcy today. Government officials say everything is in place to ensure the company makes it through court quickly, possibly in as little as a few weeks. Even as the automaker prepares for a likely bankruptcy, Obama said he's hopeful Chrysler will be able to push forward with a Fiat alliance.
• GM bondholders prep counteroffer. General Motors' (GM) bondholders plan to reject GM's April 27 debt exchange offer, and to present a counteroffer that would give them control of the automaker. Sources say the counteroffer proposes that bondholders and a UAW retiree medical fund both exchange all their claims for equity stakes of 58% and 41% respectively. Common shareholders would be left with 1% ownership. A committee representing bondholders will present the alternative plan to the auto task force today. Shares +3.9% premarket (7:00 ET).
• FOMC: recession is easing. As expected, the FOMC kept rates steady at 0-0.25%. The committee pointed to signs of economic improvement, and forecast a gradual recovery amid market weakness: "Although the economic outlook has improved modestly since the March meeting, partly reflecting some easing of financial market conditions, economic activity is likely to remain weak for a time. Nonetheless, the Committee continues to anticipate that policy actions to stabilize financial markets and institutions, fiscal and monetary stimulus, and market forces will contribute to a gradual resumption of sustainable economic growth in a context of price stability." Even as the FOMC took note of some 'green shoots' in markets, it left the door open to boosting emergency financial programs if necessary. (Read the FOMC statement)
• 100+ PPIP applications. More than 100 firms applied to participate in PPIP, the Treasury's toxic-asset purchase program. At least five will get preliminary approval by May 15, at which point they can begin raising the expected minimum of $500M in private capital. (Read the Treasury's statement)
• Lewis ousted as chairman. A shareholder proposal removed Bank of America (BAC) CEO Ken Lewis from his position as chairman of the board, a possible precursor to his eventual replacement as CEO. The proposal passed narrowly, with 50.34% of the vote. Board member Walter Massey will assume the chairman's post.
• State Street probed over mortgage securities. Massachusetts' top securities regulator launched a probe into whether State Street Corp (STT) misled pension funds over the risk level of certain investments. In particular, regulators are investigating whether State Street represented mortgage-backed securities as low-risk vehicles, and whether funds marketed as safe held 'potentially inappropriate' derivatives, swaps and other securities. A State Street spokeswoman declined to comment.
• FBI probes Freddie losses. The FBI is reportedly investigating possible accounting violations at Freddie Mac (FRE), trying to determine whether the mortgage giant improperly delayed the recognition of billions of dollars of losses. The losses, incurred from 2001-2004, were connected to derivatives contracts and are due to be gradually recognized in quarterly earnings statements over the next several years.
• IBM offers pre-stimulus financing. IBM (IBM) is offering $2B in financing to customers who want to invest in broadband and healthcare technologies but are waiting to receive government stimulus funds. Since much of the government funding won't reach companies until 2010 or later, IBM sees this as a way to "jump-start those investments and jump-start the benefits."
• Budget approved. Congress approved a $3.5T budget outline for 2010, which includes special funds to pay for sweeping changes in health care, education and energy. Democrats said their budget outline will cut the deficit by more than 50% in five years. Republicans argued the reduced deficit projections omit costs, such as disaster relief, from future-year expenditures.
• IACI goes match-making. IAC/InterActiveCorp (IACI) is in talks to buy Yahoo Personals, Yahoo's (YHOO) online dating service. Yahoo has considered selling the matchmaking site in the past, and CEO Carol Bartz has expressed her interest in selling or shuttering non-core businesses. The dating site could be worth around $500M.
• Time Warner, AOL prepare to part. Time Warner (TWX) said it's preparing to move ahead with a spinoff of all or part of its struggling AOL unit, and a decision is expected 'very soon.' The company also plans to buy back Google's (GOOG) 5% stake in AOL.
• Visa beats forecast on cost cuts, debit use. Visa (V) posted better-than-expected quarterly results (see details below) as the company increased prices and cut costs. The company also benefited from consumers' increased reliance on debit cards The number of Visa-branded cards grew 8% globally to more than 1.7B, while the number of transactions processed on its network climbed 9%.
• Starbucks to focus on value. Starbucks (SBUX) narrowly beat expectations for quarterly earnings (see details below) on cost cuts. Trying to re-brand itself for the economic times, Starbucks plans to launch a multimillion dollar campaign challenging the view that coffee is an expensive luxury. The company will also selectively lower prices on some of its popular drinks while slightly raising prices on larger, more complex beverages.
• MGM finds project financing. MGM Mirage (MGM) and Dubai World reached an agreement with lenders to fully finance their $8.5B CityCenter project in Las Vegas, and Dubai World dismissed its lawsuit against MGM. The project is on track to open in December 2009.
• Apple builds chip-design team. Apple (AAPL) is shifting strategy with plans to build its own team for chip design. The company hopes the move will shield Apple's work from rivals and lead to the development of exclusive features for its gadgets.
• GDP worse than expected. Advanced Q1 GDP was -6.1% vs. consensus of -4.7% and last quarter's -6.3%. Personal consumption increased 2.2% vs. consensus of +0.9% and prior -4.3%. The price index rose 2.9% vs. consensus of +1.8% and prior +0.5%.
• BoJ holds rates steady. Bank of Japan kept its benchmark rate unchanged at 0.1%. The bank will release its economic outlook today, and will likely forecast a deeper contraction than the 2% drop predicted three months ago.

Earnings: Thursday Before Open

• Alliant Energy (LNT): Q1 EPS of $0.30 misses by $0.24. (PR)
• Ashland (ASH): FQ2 EPS of $0.64 beats by $0.34. Revenue of $2.0B (-3.4%) vs. $2.1B. (PR)
• BorgWarner (BWA): Q1 EPS of -$0.12 beats by $0.08. Revenue of $819.5M (-45.3%) vs. $854M. (PR)
• Cardinal Health (CAH): FQ3 EPS of $0.97 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $24.9B (+8.9%) vs. $24.0B. (PR)
• Celgene (CELG): Q1 EPS of $0.44 beats by $0.01. Revenue of $601M (+29.9%) vs. $602M. (PR)
• CIGNA (CI): Q1 EPS of $0.69 misses by $0.22. Revenue of $4.8B (+4.5%) in-line. (PR)
• CMS Energy (CMS): Q1 EPS of $0.30 in-line. Revenue of $2.1B (-3.6%) in-line. (PR)
• Colgate-Palmolive (CL): Q1 EPS of $0.97 beats by $0.01. Revenue of $3.5B (-5.7%) vs. $3.6B. (PR)
• Comcast (CMCSA): Q1 EPS of $0.27 beats by $0.04. Revenue of $8.4B (-5%) vs. $8.8B. (PR)
• Covidien (COV): FQ2 EPS of $0.69 misses by $0.16. Revenue of $2.7B (+11.3%) vs. $2.6B. (PR)
• Digital Realty Trust (DLR): Q1 EPS of $0.70 beats by $0.03. Revenue of $149M (+30.2%) vs. $147M. (PR)
• Dominion Resources (D): Q1 EPS of $0.97 beats by $0.09. Revenue of $4.8B (+9.8%) vs. $4.1B. (PR)
• Dow Chemical (DOW): Q1 EPS of $0.12 beats by $0.33. Revenue of $9.1B (-38.7%) vs. $11.7B. Shares +1.4% premarket (6:50 ET). (PR)
• Eastman Kodak (EK): Q1 EPS of -$1.34 misses by $1.01. Revenue of $1.5B (-29.4%) vs. $1.6B. (PR)
• Entegris (ENTG): Q1 EPS of -$0.34 misses by $0.09. Revenue of $59M (-60.2%) vs. $71M. (PR)
• EQT Corp. (EQT): Q1 EPS of $0.55 misses by $0.01. Revenue of $260M (-1.6%) vs. $310M. (PR)
• ExxonMobil (XOM): Q1 EPS of $0.92 misses by $0.03. Revenue of $64.03B (-45.2%) vs. $54.03B. Shares +0.6% premarket. (AP)
• GrafTech International Ltd (GTI): Q1 EPS of $0.04 beats by $0.03. Revenue of $134M (-53.8%) vs. $153M. (PR)
• International Paper (IP): Q1 EPS of $0.08 beats by $0.12. Revenue of $5.7B (+0%) vs. $6.3B. (PR)
• Iron Mountain (IRM): Q1 EPS of $0.20 beats by $0.08. Revenue of $723M (-3.5%) vs. $722M. (PR)
• KBR (KBR): Q1 EPS of $0.48 beats by $0.05. Revenue of $3.2B (+27%) vs. $2.9B. (PR)
• Kellogg (K): Q1 EPS of $0.89 beats by $0.10. Revenue of $3.2B (-2.7%) in-line. (PR)
• Kimco Realty (KIM): Q1 EPS of $0.43 misses by $0.01. Revenue of $194M (+2.7%) vs. $191M. (PR)
• LKQ Corp. (LKQX): Q1 EPS of $0.23 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $518M (+5.3%) vs. $523M. (PR)
• LM Ericsson Telephone (ERIC): Q1 EPS of $0.54 misses by $0.17. Revenue of $49.6B (+12.2%) vs. $42.3B. Shares -5.8% premarket (6:50 ET). (PR)
• Motorola (MOT): Q1 EPS of -$0.10 beats by $0.01. Revenue of $5.4B (-27.9%) vs. $5.55B. Shares -16% premarket (7:00 ET). (PR)
• Mylan Laboratories (MYL): Q1 EPS of $0.33 beats by $0.05. Revenue of $1.2B (+12.6%) in-line. (PR)
• Newell Rubbermaid (NWL): Q1 EPS of $0.20 beats by $0.12. Revenue of $1.2B (-16%) in-line. (PR)
• Newmont Mining (Holding Company) (NEM): Q1 EPS of $0.44 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $1.55B (-20.1%) vs. $1.40B. (PR)
• Noble Energy (NBL): Q1 EPS of $0.59 beats by $0.15. Revenue of $441M (-57%) vs. $598M. (PR)
• NRG Energy (NRG): Q1 EPS of $0.70 beats by $0.25. Revenue of $1.7B (+27.3%) vs. $1.2B. (PR)
• NYSE GROUP (NYX): Q1 EPS of $0.43 beats by $0.04. Revenue of $1.1B (+0.2%) in-line. (PR)
• OfficeMax (OMX): Q1 EPS of $0.23 beats by $0.07. Revenue of $1.91B (-17%) vs. $1.95B. (PR)
• Omnicare (OCR): Q1 EPS of $0.64 beats by $0.03. Revenue of $1.6B (+0.3%) in-line. Shares +3.3% premarket (8:10 ET). (PR)
• Oshkosh Corporation (OSK): FQ2 EPS of -$0.24 misses by $0.04. Revenue of $1.3B (-26.9%) vs. $1.5B. (PR)
• Owens Corning (OC): Q1 EPS of $0.04 beats by $0.08. Revenue of $1.1B (-20.6%) vs. $1.2B. (PR)
• Patterson-UTI Energy (PTEN): Q1 EPS of $0.11 misses by $0.03. Revenue of $296M (-41.3%) vs. $319M. (PR)
• Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PEI): Q1 EPS of $0.71 beats by $0.03. Revenue of $73M (-0.8%) vs. $67M. Shares +1.2% premarket (8:10 ET). (PR)
• Pride International (PDE): Q1 EPS of $0.87 beats by $0.01. Revenue of $549M (+1.7%) vs. $555M. (PR)
• Procter & Gamble (PG): FQ3 EPS of $0.84 beats by $0.04. Revenue of $18.4B (-8%) vs. $18.9B. Shares +2.1% premarket (8:00 ET). (PR)
• Rayonier (RYN): Q1 EPS of $0.33 beats by $0.04. Revenue of $274M (-0.3%) vs. $286M. (PR)
• Regal Entertainment Group (RGC): Q1 EPS of $0.14 misses by $0.02. Revenue of $666M (+6.2%) vs. $651M. (PR)
• Sepracor (SEPR): Q1 EPS of $0.85 beats by $0.16. Revenue of $330M (+2.9%) vs. $329M. (PR)
• Spirit AeroSystems (SPR): Q1 EPS of $0.45 beats by $0.05. Revenue of $887M (-14.4%) vs. $859M. (PR)
• Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide (HOT): Q1 EPS of $0.14 beats by $0.10. Revenue of $1.1B (-23.7%) in-line. (PR)
• Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM): Q1 EPS of $0.01 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $1.2B (-57.9%) vs. $1.1B. Shares +4.5% premarket (8:00 ET). (PR)
• The Travelers Companies (TRV): Q1 EPS of $1.34 beats by $0.03. Revenue of $5.7B (-8.0%) vs. $6.1B. (PR)
• Tyco International (TYC): FQ2 EPS of $0.55 beats by $0.14. Revenue of $4.15B (-14.7%) vs. $4.2B. (PR)
• Viacom(B): Q1 EPS of $0.29 beats by $0.03. Revenue of $2.9B (-6.8%) vs. $3.0B. (PR)
• Watson Pharmaceuticals (WPI): Q1 EPS of $0.58 beats by $0.09. Revenue of $667M (+6.5%) vs. $638M. Shares +6.0% premarket (8:05 ET). (PR)
• Xcel Energy (XEL): Q1 EPS of $0.38 beats by $0.01. Revenue of $2.7B (-11%) vs. $3.1B. (PR)

Earnings: Wednesday After Close

• AFLAC (AFL): Q1 EPS of $1.22 beats by $0.06. Revenue of $4.82B (+12%) in-line. Total investments and cash of $61.7B down 1.7% Y/Y. Shares -2% AH. (PR)
• Agnico-Eagle Mines (AEM): Q1 EPS of $0.35 beats by $0.26. Revenue of $111M (-10.5%) vs. $72M. Shares +1.7% AH. (PR)
• Akamai Technologies (AKAM): Q1 EPS of $0.43 beats by $0.03. Revenue of $210M (-1%) in-line. Announces $100M share repurchase. Shares +5.1% AH. (PR)
• Annaly Capital Management (NLY): Q1 EPS of $0.56 beats by $0.01. Shares +1.1% AH. (PR)
• Assurant (AIZ): Q1 EPS of $1.17 misses by $0.26. Revenue of $2.09B (-4.1%) vs. $2.24B. Shares -3.7% AH. (PR)
• Biomed Realty Trust (BMR): Q1 FFO of $0.51 beats by $0.06. Revenue of $94M (+39.4%) vs. $85M. (PR)
• Boston Properties (BXP): Q1 FFO of $1.36 beats by $0.11. Revenue of $377M (+1.6%) vs. $366M. (PR)
• CB Richard Ellis Group (CBG): Q1 EPS of -$0.03 misses by $0.05. Revenue of $890M (-27.7%) vs. $983M. Shares -0.15% AH. (PR)
• Cliffs Natural Resources (CLF): Q1 EPS of -$0.07 beats by $0.07. Revenue of $465M (-6%) vs. $528M. Shares -2.5%. (PR)
• Citrix Systems (CTXS): Q1 EPS of $0.32 beats by $0.01. Revenue of $369M (-2.1%) vs. $359M. Announces up to $300M share buyback. Shares +5.1% AH. PR)
• Covance (CVD): Q1 EPS of $0.63 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $441M vs. $429M. Sees full-year EPS of $2.50-2.70 vs. consensus of $2.88. Shares flat AH. (PR)
• Crown Castle International (CCI): Q1 EPS of $0.02 beats by $0.08. Revenue of $403M (+8.7%) vs. $392M. Shares +7% AH. (PR)
• Duke Realty (DRE): Q1 FFO of $0.50 in-line. Revenue of $238M (+5%) vs. $219M. Sees full-year FFO of $1.85-2.15 vs. $1.81. Shares flat AH. (PR)
• Equity Residential (EQR): Q1 FFO of $0.57 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $515M (+2.5%) vs. $523M. Shares flat AH. (PR)
• Express Scripts (ESRX): Q1 EPS of $0.86 beats by $0.04. Revenue of $5.42B (-1.2%) in-line. Full-year guidance in-line. Shares +1.3% AH. (PR)
• First Solar (FSLR): Q1 EPS of $1.99 beats by $0.48. Revenue of $418M (+112.4%) vs. $403M. Shares +13.4% premarket. (PR)
• Flextronics International (FLEX): FQ4 EPS of $0.03 misses by $0.01. Sees FQ1 revenue of $5-6B vs. $6.2B consensus. Shares -3.3% AH. (PR)
• Genco Shipping (GNK): Q1 EPS of $1.32 beats by $0.06. Revenue of $96.7M (+5.4%) vs. $96M. Shares +0.5% AH. (PR)
• Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR): FQ2 EPS of $0.50 beats by $0.14. Revenue of $193M (+60%) vs. $178M. Sees full-year EPS of $1.47-1.53 vs. $1.31. Shares +20.4% AH. (PR)
• Harman International (HAR): FQ3 EPS of -$0.84 misses by $0.40. Revenue of $598M (-42.1%) vs. $668M. Suspends dividend. Shares -4.7% AH. (PR)
• JDS Uniphase (JDSU): FQ3 EPS of -$0.03 in-line. Revenue of $281M vs. $285M. Sees FQ4 revenue of $265-285M vs. consensus of $290M. Shares -12% AH. (PR)
• Kaiser Aluminum (KALU): Q1 EPS of $0.81 vs. consensus of $0.42. Revenue of $266M (-33.4%) vs. $277M. Shares +1.7% AH. (PR)
• LSI Logic (LSI): Q1 EPS of -$0.03 beats by $0.01. Revenue of $482M vs. $469M. Shares -0.2% AH. (PR)
• Northeast Utilities (NU): Q1 EPS of $0.60 beats by $0.05. Revenue of $1.59B (+4.8%) in-line. Shares -4.9% AH. (PR)
• Oceaneering International (OII): Q1 EPS of $0.80 beats by $0.12. Revenue of $435M (-0.2%) vs. $461M. Shares flat AH. (PR)
• O'Reilly Automotive (ORLY): Q1 EPS of $0.47 beats by $0.07. Revenue of $1.16B (+80.1%) in-line. Shares +3% AH. (PR)
• Owens-Illinois (OI): Q1 EPS of $0.55 beats by $0.19. Revenue of $1.52B (-22.5%) vs. $1.66B. Shares +11.3% AH. (PR)
• ProLogis (PLD): Q1 EPS of $0.66 misses by $0.04. Revenue of $455M vs. $245M. Shares -3.5% AH. (PR)
• Realty Income (O): Q1 EPS of $0.45 misses by $0.01. Revenue of $82.9M vs. $81.9M. (PR)
• Ryland Group (RYL): Q1 EPS of -$1.76 misses by $0.74. Revenue of $265M (-36.3%) vs. $235M. Shares -1.8% AH. (PR)
• Skechers (SKX): Q1 EPS of $0.18 beats by $0.27. Revenue of $343M (-10.8%) vs. $333M. "We are continuing to monitor our expenses and inventory levels to ensure maximum profitability in this soft economic environment, which we believe will continue to negatively impact our business." Shares +5.6% AH. (PR)
• Smith & Nephew (SNN): Q1 EPS of $0.13 misses by $0.49. Revenue of $865M (-5%) vs. $902M. Shares +0.45% premarket. (PR)
• Starbucks (SBUX): FQ2 EPS of $0.16 beats by $0.01. Revenue of $2.3B in-line. Shares +1.5% AH. (PR)
• STMicroelectronics (STM): Q1 EPS of -$0.31 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $1.66B (+33%) in-line. (PR)
• Taubman Centers (TCO): Q1 EPS of $0.70 beats by $0.12. Revenue of $158M (+0.2%) vs. $146M. Shares -0.3% AH. (PR)
• Teradyne (TER): Q1 EPS of -$0.38 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $121M (+59.4%) in-line. Shares +3.7% AH. (PR)
• Unum Group (UNM): Q1 EPS of $0.62 beats by $0.02. Revenue of $2.45B vs. $2.57B. Shares -0.1% AH. (PR)
• Visa (V): FQ2 EPS of $0.73 beats by $0.09. Revenue of $1.65B (+13.4%) in-line. Affirms full-year outlook - high-single digits in 21009 and the lower range of 11-15% in 2010. Volume growth of $675B down 1% Y/Y. Shares -0.1% AH. (PR)
• Walter Industries (WLT): Q1 EPS of $1.36 beats by $0.51. Revenue of $290M (+20.7%) vs. $316M. Shares +6.6% AH. (PR)
• Whiting Petroleum (WLL): Q1 EPS of -$0.92 misses by $0.20. Revenue of $164M in-line. (PR)

Today's Markets

Overseas markets posted strong gains Thursday, and futures are sharply higher.

Robert Toll in the House: Toll Brothers (TOL)

This is the 4th Quarter 2008 edition of our ongoing hedge fund portfolio tracking series. Before reading this update, make sure you check out the Hedge Fund 13F filings preface.

Next up is D.E. Shaw & Co. D.E. was founded in 1988 by David E. Shaw and manages around $33 billion as of December 1st 2008. D.E. Shaw focuses on intertwining technology and finance and is a hedge fund, private equity firm, and technology development shop all in one. It employs mainly quantitative strategies and does a lot of statistical arbitrage.

This is the 4th Quarter 2008 edition of our ongoing hedge fund portfolio tracking series. Before reading this update, make sure you check out the Hedge Fund 13F filings preface.

Next up, we have Harbinger Capital, a $13 Billion firm ran by Philip Falcone. Harbinger was started in 2000 with seed capital from Harbert Management ($25 million). And, just recently, we've learned that Falcone is buying out Harbert to be the owner of the firm. Falcone made a name for himself in 2007 when he started shorting subprime mortgages and returned 117%. He focuses on intensive credit research, on bankruptcies and proxy fights, and was previously involved with high yield debt trading. Lately, Falcone has been focused on equities it seems, but Harbinger's new fund will redirect Falcone's focus back to his roots.

In particular, the U.S. small wind turbine market grew over 20% and deployed over 9.7 megawatts (MW) of new capacity in 2008. Numerous new start-up manufacturers entered the market and small wind media inquiries were at an all-time high, reflecting this growth. Federal small wind energy, tax-credits are available at 30% of the cost, with no upper limit through 2016 (for existing homes and new construction).

Based on research data analysis, we project small residential wind turbines and solar PV are examples of technologies moving the U.S. toward realizing the new administration’s vision for a renewable energy future combined with creating thousands of new manufacturing and dealer jobs across the country.

Last week, several branches of the Colorado state government organized a symposium on "How Colorado Electric/Gas Utilities and Their Customers Can Benefit from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act [ARRA]." I attended, with an ear to how the likely implementation would affect Clean Energy Stocks.

Overall, Colorado seems to be taking a very organized approach to a monumental task. According to Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) Chairman Ron Binz, who officiated at the conference, they intend to organize proposals into an overall thematic plan for spending stimulus money. In addition, they are working to eliminate barriers to regulated utilities participating. In particular, the PUC "will allow expedited review of applications filed to request financial incentives including ratemaking treatment."