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The week in preview: Chicken soup (or a doughnut) for the recession-weary soul?

In last week's preview we took a peek at expectations for Campbell Soup earnings, but now the company is scheduled to report fiscal fourth quarter results this coming Thursday. With Krispy Kreme also among the handful of companies scheduled to report this week, we may yet see whether consumers are turning to comfort foods in these uncertain times.

Campbell Soup Co. (NYSE: CPB), the world's biggest soup maker, is still expected by analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial to post net income of 25 cents per share (up 44.0% from a year ago) on revenue of $1.7 billion (up 7.4%). The Camden, N.J.-based company has just missed earnings estimates in the past few quarters. Its long-term EPS growth forecast is 7.9%, which is less than the industry average, but about the same as rivals Kraft Foods (NYSE: KFT) and HJ Heinz (NYSE: HNZ). The analysts' consensus recommendation is currently to buy Campbell.

Hip, Canadian apparel retailer Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ: LULU) is also anticipated to be a big earnings gainer when it reports this week. Net income is expected to come in at 13 cents per share (up 46.2% from a year ago) on revenue of $88.2 million (up 50.3%). Lululemon met expectations when it reported 12 cents per share in the previous quarter. Its long-term EPS growth forecast is a healthy 40.2%, which is better than the industry average and that of rival Under Armour Inc. (NYSE: UA). The analysts' consensus recommendation is currently to buy Lululemon.

Continue reading The week in preview: Chicken soup (or a doughnut) for the recession-weary soul?

Earnings highlights: Toll Bros., Take-Two, Tiffany, Staples, Kraft, Corning and others

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

Also, Jim Cramer discusses a decline in earnings resulting from a collapse of oil and oil services.

Upcoming quarterly reports include Korn/Ferry (NYSE: KFY), Pep Boys (NYSE: PBY), Campbell Soup (NYSE: CPB), Krispy Kreme (NYSE: KKD), and Lululemon Athletica (NASDAQ: LULU).

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Staples rises despite profit slip, Joy Global tumbles on profit surge

While less foot traffic and lower sales dragged down Staples Inc.'s (NASDAQ: SPLS) second-quarter profit, mining equipment maker Joy Global Inc.'s (NASDAQ: JOYG) fiscal third-quarter profit soared on strong demand for its products and services.

Staples, the world's largest office supply company, reported Wednesday that it earned $150.2 million, or 21 cents per share, down 16% from its year-ago profit. Sales jumped 18% to $5.07 billion, though same-store sales fell 7% in North America. Results were boosted by the acquisition of Dutch supply chain Corporate Express NV.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had expected a profit of 21 cents per share on revenue of $4.69 billion.

Because of the slowing economy, the Framingham, Mass.-based company also forecast low single-digit earnings per share growth for the full year

Staples shares rose 41 cents, or 1.7%, Wednesday to $25.18. Shares are up 9.2% year to date.

Continue reading Staples rises despite profit slip, Joy Global tumbles on profit surge

The week in preview: Have consumers turned to comfort food and used cars?

While the earnings crunch for this quarter is all but over, there is still plenty of action in the earnings arena this coming week. For instance, analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial are expecting America's Car Mart Inc. (NASDAQ: CRMT) and Campbell Soup Co. (NYSE: CPB) to be among this week's top earnings gainers.

Bentonville, Ark.-based America's Car Mart is expected to post net income of 38 cents per share (up 52.6% from the same period a year ago) on revenue of $73.8 million (up 25.8%). The used car dealer chain has tended in recent quarters toward positive surprises -- by 21 cents per share, or 73.5%, in the previous quarter. The long-term EPS growth forecast is 15%, about the same as the S&P 500. The consensus recommendation of analysts is to buy CRMT.

Campell is tentatively scheduled to report this week, and the world's biggest soup maker is expected to post net income of 25 cents per share (up 44.0% from a year ago) on revenue of $1.7 billion (up 7.5%). The Camden, N.J.-based company has just missed earnings estimates in the past three quarters. Its long-term EPS growth forecast is 7.5%, which is less than the industry average, but about the same as rivals Kraft Foods (NYSE: KFT) and Heinz (NYSE: HNZ). The analysts' consensus recommendation is currently to buy Campbell.

Other anticipated double-digit earnings gainers scheduled to report this week include brand name apparel maker Guess Inc. (NYSE: GES), mining equipment maker Joy Global (NASDAQ: JOYG), and chip maker National Semiconductor (NYSE: NSM). And Take-Two Interactive Software (NASDAQ: TTWO) is expected to swing to a profit.

Continue reading The week in preview: Have consumers turned to comfort food and used cars?

Earnings highlights: Dell, Sears, Tiffany, Talbots, Smithfield, TiVo, Rio Tinto and others

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

Upcoming quarterly reports include Guess (NYSE: GES), Collective Brands (NYSE: PSS), H&R Block, (NYSE: HRB), Staples (NASDAQ: SPLS), Ciena (NASDAQ: CIEN), Toll Brothers (NYSE: TOL); and National Semiconductor (NASDAQ: NSM).

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Dillard's, Talbots rise despite wider Q2 losses

The economic downturn has meant lower sales for retailers such as department store chain Dillard's Inc. (NYSE: DDS) and apparel retailer Talbots Inc. (NYSE: TLB). On Wednesday both companies reported wider second-quarter losses.

Little Rock, Ark.-based Dillard's said it it lost $38.3 million, or 51 cents a share, in the quarter, compared with a loss of $25.2 million, or 31 cents a share, in the second quarter of the previous year. Same-store sales fell 4%, and overall revenue dropped to $1.65 billion from $1.69 billion a year ago.

Results included a gain of 15 cents per share, mostly from the sale of a company airplane, and store closing and other charges of 8 cents per share.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial had expected a loss of 54 cents per share on revenue of $1.62 billion.

Dillard's said cost-cutting efforts in the second quarter were insufficient to offset disappointing results, but that the company would continue to close under-performing stores and cut back on advertising and general expenses.

Shares of Dillard's jumped 48 cents, or 4%, to $11.85 in early trading, before settling back down. Shares are down about 38% year to date.

Continue reading Dillard's, Talbots rise despite wider Q2 losses

Feed prices put the squeeze on meat producers

Rising commodities prices led both Smithfield Foods Inc. (NYSE: SFD), the nation's largest pork producer and processor, and poultry producer Sanderson Farms Inc. (NASDAQ: SAFM) to report quarterly losses on Tuesday.

Smithfield Foods said it lost $12.6 million, or 9 cents per share, in its fiscal first quarter due in part to a $20.1 million write-down in the value of commodity contracts. The Smithfield, Va.-based company had reported a profit of $54.6 million, or 41 cents per share, a year ago.

Revenues rose 20% to $3.14 billion in the quarter. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters had forecast a loss of 4 cents per share on $2.87 billion in sales.

In addition to hurting from high costs for such ingredients as grain and fuel, Smithfield also faces an oversupply of meat on the market, which is keeping prices for pork lower. To help push prices up, meat producers such as Smithfield have announced intentions to cut supply.

Shares of Smithfield fell 88 cents, or 3.7%, to $22.71 in morning trading. That's up from a 52-week low of $16.61 in early July, but shares have fallen about 21% since the beginning of the year.

Continue reading Feed prices put the squeeze on meat producers

Executive shakeup at Sears ahead of Q2 report

This past week, Sears Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: SHLD) announced the addition of two new senior executives to replace the departing heads of its business segments. The former head of Motorola's (NYSE: MOT) mobile devices business, Stu Reed, will become senior vice president of Sears's home services unit. His predecessor was Mark Good. Former Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) senior executive Guenther Trieb will take charge of the Kenmore, Craftsman, and Diehard brands.

Hoffman Estates, Ill.-based Sears also announced the impending departure of Chief Marketing Officer Maureen McGuire. Senior vice president Richard Gerstein, also of the marketing team, will serve as chief marketing officer of Kmart and Sears.

Earlier this year Chairman Eddie Lampert split the company into five business units. But, the company reported in May its largest quarterly loss since the merger of Kmart and Sears in 2005. The company is scheduled to report second quarter results this week. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial on average expect a profit of 33 cents per share, up from a loss of 53 cents in the previous quarter, but still down from net income of $1.14 in the same quarter a year ago. Also, Sears has tended to offer negative surprises in the most recent quarterly reports. Analysts rate Sears as underperforming.

Shares closed Friday at $88.43, which is down 13.4% since the beginning of the year and down 38.4% from a year ago.

The week in preview: Earnings expectations for techs, Canadian banks

Results for the tech stocks in last week's preview were a mixed bag, some beats, some misses, some in line. By and large, expectations for tech companies reporting results this week remain high, though. Here's what analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial are anticipating in the way of earnings, as compared to the same period of the previous year.

Continue reading The week in preview: Earnings expectations for techs, Canadian banks

Earnings highlights: Hershey, Heinz, Burger King, Foot Locker, Saks and others

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

For more earnings highlights from this week, see: Home Depot, Lehman, Hewlett-Packard, Gap, BJ's and others

Upcoming quarterly reports include Big Lots (NYSE: BIG), Borders (NYSE: BGP), Rio Tinto (NYSE: RTP), Tivo (NASDAQ: TIVO), Novell (NASDAQ: NOVL), Dell (NASDAQ: DELL), Sears (NASDAQ: SHLD), and Tiffany (NYSE: TIF).

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Earnings highlights: Home Depot, Lehman, Hewlett-Packard, Gap, BJ's and others

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

For more highlights from this week, see: Hershey, Heinz, Burger King, Foot Locker, Saks and others

Upcoming quarterly reports include Big Lots (NYSE: BIG), Borders (NYSE: BGP), Rio Tinto (NYSE: RTP), Tivo (NASDAQ: TIVO), Novell (NASDAQ: NOVL), Dell (NASDAQ: DELL), Sears (NASDAQ: SHLD), and Tiffany (NYSE: TIF).

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The week in preview: Expectations for home improvement, tech, apparel

Rival home improvement chains Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) and Lowe's Companies Inc. (NYSE: LOW) are scheduled to report quarterly results this week. Not surprisingly, given the ongoing housing slump, analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial on average expect both companies to post earnings lower than in the same period a year ago. For Home Depot, that's 61 cents per share, down 20.8%, and for Lowe's, 56 cents per share, down 16.4%. Meanwhile, cabinet maker American Woodmark Corp. (NASDAQ: AMWD), for whom Home Depot and Lowe's are major distributors, is also expected to report lower earnings: 11 cents per share, down 67.6%.

The presidential campaigns have prompted much discussion of energy policy and alternative energy sources. Some solar-energy-related concerns are scheduled to report this week, and expectations seem to be high. Trina Solar Ltd. (NYSE: TSL) is expected to report 81 cents per share earnings, up 67.9%; ReneSola Ltd. (NYSE: SOL) is expected to post earnings of 32 cents per share, up 62.5%; and Suntech Power Holdings Co. (NYSE: STP) is expected to have earnings of 32 cents per share, up 21.9%. Even China Sunergy Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: CSUN) is expected to have swung to a profit of 3 cents per share, from a per-share loss of 14 cents a year ago.

Continue reading The week in preview: Expectations for home improvement, tech, apparel

Earnings highlights: Wal-Mart, JCPenney, MBIA, Deere, Applied Materials and others

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

Also, Jim Cramer warns against bearishness on the financials and also suggests that the collapse of commodities will buoy earings.

For more highlights from this week, see: Abercrombie, Macy's, Kohl's, Sirius, UBS, Wachovia and others

Upcoming quarterly reports include Lowe's (NYSE: LOW), Home Depot (NYSE: HD), Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ), Target (NYSE: TGT), La-Z-Boy (NYSE: LZB), Saks (NYSE: SKS), BJ's Wholesale (NYSE: BJ), Limited Brands (NYSE: LTD), Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS), Burger King (NYSE: BKC), Gap (NYSE: GPS), Heinz (NYSE: HNZ), and Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU).

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage.

Earnings highlights: Abercrombie, Macy's, Kohl's, Sirius, UBS, Wachovia and others

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

Also, Jim Cramer warns against bearishness on the financials and also suggests that the collapse of commodities will buoy earings.

For more highlights from this week, see: Wal-Mart, JCPenney, MBIA, Deere, Applied Materials and others

Upcoming quarterly reports include Lowe's (NYSE: LOW), Home Depot (NYSE: HD), Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ), Target (NYSE: TGT), La-Z-Boy (NYSE: LZB), Saks (NYSE: SKS), BJ's Wholesale (NYSE: BJ), Limited Brands (NYSE: LTD), Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS), Burger King (NYSE: BKC), Gap (NYSE: GPS), Heinz (NYSE: HNZ), and Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU).

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage.

Nordstrom and JCPenney beat earnings estimates despite profit drops, tough economy

On Thursday, upscale retailer Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN) reported a 21% decline in second-quarter earnings, and on Friday, JCPenney Co. Inc. (NYSE: JCP) reported a 36% decline in second-quarter earnings, as consumers continued to pull back on spending in the tough economy.

The Seattle-based Nordstrom said that it earned $143 million, or 65 cents per share, in the quarter ended Aug. 2, compared to $180 million, or 71 cents per share, in the same period of the previous year. Total sales fell 4.3% to $2.29 billion. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters had expected earnings of 64 cents per share on revenue of $2.31 billion.

Nordstrom also reported a 6% drop in same-store sales and said that results would continue to be challenging. The company said it now expects earnings per share for its fiscal year to be between $2.55 to $2.65 per share. That's down from the previous forecast of $2.65 to $2.80 per share. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect net income of $2.68 per share for the year.

Shares rose 4.37% Friday to close at $31.54. Shares are down 14.1% year to date.

Continue reading Nordstrom and JCPenney beat earnings estimates despite profit drops, tough economy

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