BloggingStocks

Option traders expecting limited movement in Dell (DELL)

Beth Gaston Moon — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:50:00 EST

It's a slow day in the options market, and investors are expecting a slow couple of months in terms of Dell (DELL) price action - and they are taking on a lot of risk to bet on this.

The January 14 straddle has been active today. (A straddle is the simultaneous purchase or sale of a call and put with the same expiration date and same strike price). In this case, the straddle was sold 8,000 times for $1.47 (an average of 55 cents for the out-of-the-money put and an average price of 92 cents for the in-the-money call). The volume crossed the tape around 11:00 AM Eastern time in two large blocks of 4,000 straddles.

Continue reading Option traders expecting limited movement in Dell (DELL)

Option traders expecting limited movement in Dell (DELL) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hewlett-Packard reports growth in profit and operating margin in Q4

Steven Mallas — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Earnings reports, Microsoft (MSFT), Cisco Systems (CSCO), Dell (DELL), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), International Business Machines (IBM), Technology

Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), the famous maker of printers and PCs, and a colleague of entities such as Microsoft (MSFT), Dell (DELL), and International Business Machines (IBM), issued Q4 results on Monday after the end of the trading day. Revenues didn't impress me, as sales saw a decline of 8%. Net income, however, was better. On an adjusted basis, earnings per share increased 11% to $1.14.

Also doing well was the operating margin. The adjusted metric increased 170 basis points during the quarter. The annual statement of cash flows should look good to any long-term shareholder. Management still had cash left over from operations after share repurchases, dividend obligations, and capital spending.

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Hewlett-Packard reports growth in profit and operating margin in Q4 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell being left behind as PC market re-energizes itself?

Brian White — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Competitive strategy, Dell (DELL)

Dell, Inc. (DELL) has been beaten up verbally recently, and its stock price has plummeted as well. The company's latest quarter was nothing to write home about, and there is talk that Dell's edge has long since been dulled and the company is a lumbering giant unable to do anything more than sell and service commodity products. The recent Perot Systems acquisition is more a defensive move than an offensive one, for example. So, is Dell floundering? In many ways, definitely yes.

Continue reading Dell being left behind as PC market re-energizes itself?

Dell being left behind as PC market re-energizes itself? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Earnings highlights: Dell, Foot Locker, Gap, Lowe's, Saks, Target ...

Trey Thoelcke — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:40:00 EST

Filed under: Earnings reports, Dell (DELL), Target Corp. (TGT), Gap Inc (GPS)

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

ADC Telecommunications Inc. (ADCT) posted a surprise net loss for Q4 and predicted a loss in Q1.
BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. (BJ) shares fell after Q3 earnings met expectations and offered guidance for FY.
Dell Inc. (DELL) posted lower-than-expected Q3 earnings, prompting a sell-off of shares.
Foot Locker Inc. (FL) said Q3 earnings slumped more than analysts' forecast, sending shares lower.
Gap Inc. (GPS) reported growth of EPS and revenue in Q3 and announced a share buyback program.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Dell, Foot Locker, Gap, Lowe's, Saks, Target ...

Earnings highlights: Dell, Foot Locker, Gap, Lowe's, Saks, Target ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Closing Bell: Earnings working against stocks (BCRX, DELL, DHI, INTC, LEAP, PCS)

Jon Ogg — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Dell (DELL), Intel (INTC)

Today was a very unusual day. There was no real economic data to absorb. And the markets did see some unusual options trading ahead of expiration date at 4:00 PM today. Disappointing earnings kept a negative bias in the air despite a brief recovery into positive territory in the final hour today... Yet the negative close seemed almost a certain fate today.

Here are today's unofficial closing bell levels:

Dow 10,318.16 -14.28 (-0.14%)
S&P 500 1,091.37 -3.53 (-0.32%)
Nasdaq 2,146.04 -10.78 (-0.50%)

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Continue reading Closing Bell: Earnings working against stocks (BCRX, DELL, DHI, INTC, LEAP, PCS)

Closing Bell: Earnings working against stocks (BCRX, DELL, DHI, INTC, LEAP, PCS) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cramer on BloggingStocks: Dell feeds the bears

Jim Cramer — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Google (GOOG), Apple Inc (AAPL), Dell (DELL), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), Market matters, Limited Brands (LTD), Cramer on BloggingStocks, Technology

From TheStreet.com Network

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says traders who focus on the negative will pounce on this poor report.

Thanks for nothing, Dell (DELL) (Cramer's Take)! Given that this market seems to care less about the good like NetApp (NTAP) (Cramer's Take), Ross Stores (ROST) (Cramer's Take) or Limited (LTD) (Cramer's Take) and is focused on the bad, like the semi-downgrade from Bank of America Merrill Lynch, I am sure that Dell will be viewed as part and parcel with the downgrade.

I can't stand Dell. I actually slam it in Getting Back to Even, taking a chance that it would get its act together and make me look bad on the very quarter the book is released. Looks like that was a lot of worry for nothing.

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Cramer on BloggingStocks: Dell feeds the bears originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell sells off hard after hours, following weak third quarter earnings

Michael Fowlkes — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:20:00 EST

Filed under: Major movement, Forecasts, Bad news, Products and services, Dell (DELL), Technology, Recession, Financial Crisis

After-hours traders punished Dell (DELL) stock Thursday, following a weak third quarter earnings report from the technology giant.

Going into the afternoon earnings release, analysts had been expecting to see the company show earnings of 28 cents per share. Actual earnings came in much lower at 23 cents per share.

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Before the bell: Futures lower on Dell's earnings, ECB move

Melly Alazraki — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:50:00 EST

Filed under: Before the bell, International markets, Dell (DELL), Market matters, Economic data, Commodities, Oil

U.S. stock futures fell Friday morning, indicating continued weakness in the stock market. Dell's worse-than-expected earnings reported late Thursday are putting pressure on equities as a whole and technology shares in particular. Investors may be moving toward safer securities in the absence of confidence in the strength of the sector, which has already stumbled the last couple of days.

On Thursday, stocks fell across the board: the Dow industrials were down 0.9%, the S&P 500 declined 1.3% and the Nasdaq composite skidded 1.7%, following an analyst downgrade of semiconductors. This put further pressure on a sector that was already reeling from earnings the day before. Economic reports didn't help to increase investors' confidence Thursday.

Continue reading Before the bell: Futures lower on Dell's earnings, ECB move

Before the bell: Futures lower on Dell's earnings, ECB move originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cramer on BloggingStocks: Dismiss the latest tech downgrades

Jim Cramer — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:15:00 EST

Filed under: Analyst reports, Analyst upgrades and downgrades, Dell (DELL), Intel (INTC), Market matters, Texas Instruments (TXN), Limited Brands (LTD), Honeywell Intl (HON), United Technologies (UTX), Cramer on BloggingStocks

From TheStreet.com Network

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says the world's economies are getting too strong to obey these downgrades of Intel and TI.

When Wall Street starts looking at tech companies as they would industrials -- as they should be scrutinized -- then we will not get downgrades like Bank of America/Merrill's takedowns of Intel (INTC) (Cramer's Take) and Texas Instruments (TXN) (Cramer's Take).

The essence of these two downgrades is the looming inventory correction that everyone has feared from $14 a share onward for Intel and $18 for Texas Instruments at the start of the summer. At every step I have heard of this coming breakdown, the double ordering and the decline in demand as one analyst after another has warned us of the apocalypse around the corner.

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Cramer on BloggingStocks: Dismiss the latest tech downgrades originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Before the bell: Futures lower on economic concerns; retail, tech in focus

Melly Alazraki — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:40:00 EST

Filed under: Before the bell, Microsoft (MSFT), Dell (DELL), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), Market matters, JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Sears Holdings (SHLD), Gap Inc (GPS), Economic data, salesforce.com inc (CRM)

U.S. stock futures declined Thursday morning, pointing to a lower start on Wall Street as investors started weighing the possibility that stocks have run up too far and too fast ahead of the economy -- the economic recovery may not be as robust. The retail sector is in focus with several retailers reporting earnings. The tech sector could also experience pressure.

On Wednesday, stocks ended lower with technology shares leading the decline, and the Nasdaq composite down nearly half a percent. Results from Salesforce.com (CRM) and Autodesk (ADSK) weighed on the sector as Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) and Microsoft (MSFT) were among the leading decliners in the Dow.

Continue reading Before the bell: Futures lower on economic concerns; retail, tech in focus

Before the bell: Futures lower on economic concerns; retail, tech in focus originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Closing Bell: As the bears see sunset... (XOM, C, DELL, PLA, CSCO, LOW)

Jon Ogg — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Cisco Systems (CSCO), Dell (DELL), Exxon Mobil (XOM), Citigroup Inc. (C), Lowe's Cos (LOW)

Today was another up-day that started out strong and stayed strong. Retail sales helped trump a weak NY Fed manufacturing number, and Ben Bernanke said he sees no asset bubbles in the US markets today.

Here were today's unofficial closing bell levels:

DJIA
NASDAQ
S&P500

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Continue reading Closing Bell: As the bears see sunset... (XOM, C, DELL, PLA, CSCO, LOW)

Closing Bell: As the bears see sunset... (XOM, C, DELL, PLA, CSCO, LOW) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Twitter valuation off by half: NeXt Up Research

Tom Johansmeyer — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Internet, Google (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT), Dell (DELL), Media World, Technology

Michael Moe knows how to make headlines: Talk about Twitter and predictably people will bite (I'm proof of that). He led the team at NeXt Up Research that calculated the value of the micro blogging service and arrived at $526 million to $674 million -- half what Twitter is generally believed to be worth.

Really?

The team estimates that Twitter will generate revenues of $114 million to $134 million in 2013. In 2014, Twitter is expected to post revenues of $126 million to $148 million. This is far more conservative than the valuation implied by the company's most recent round of venture capital investment, which puts the company's worth at more than $1 billion.

Continue reading Twitter valuation off by half: NeXt Up Research

Twitter valuation off by half: NeXt Up Research originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cramer on BloggingStocks: Investors are rethinking their snap judgments

Jim Cramer — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Microsoft (MSFT), Apple Inc (AAPL), Cisco Systems (CSCO), Dell (DELL), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), Intel (INTC), Home Depot (HD), Motorola (MOT), Market matters, International Business Machines (IBM), JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Goldman Sachs Group (GS), Lowe's Cos (LOW), Cypress Semiconductor (CY), Stocks to Buy, Cramer on BloggingStocks

From TheStreet.com Network

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says that as numerous stories are mulled over anew, the reasons for selling seem silly.

The lack of important data today forces market participants to revisit stories that got tossed out over the last few weeks simply because of earnings ennui. People are now doubling back to see what they have forgotten, or more important, why they sold certain stocks they most likely shouldn't have.

For example, why did JPMorgan (JPM) (Cramer's Take) go from $47 to $44? Bad loans? Credit quality? No, not really. Nothing like that. Why did Goldman Sachs (GS) (Cramer's Take) go from $192 to the $170s? Some of it was Meredith Whitney, but there is also a sense of entitlement that makes the firm hated, as if somehow it is too much of a pariah to invest in.

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: Investors are rethinking their snap judgments

Cramer on BloggingStocks: Investors are rethinking their snap judgments originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cuomo guns for Intel on antitrust

Tom Johansmeyer — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:10:00 EST

Filed under: Law, Google (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT), Dell (DELL), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), Intel (INTC), Technology

The latest litigation has Intel Inside.

The State of New York is going after Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) over antitrust allegations. State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is accusing the largest chip manufacturer in the world that it is trying to secure a global monopoly for microprocessors.

For several years, Cuomo said that Intel has pushed the likes of Dell (NYSE: DELL) and Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) to agree to the exclusive use of Intel's gear in exchange for billions of dollars in payments. The hefty cash outlays have given what Cuomo called a "stranglehold" on the market.

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Cuomo guns for Intel on antitrust originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Retailers push social media, want bigger wallet share for Christmas

Tom Johansmeyer — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:20:00 EST

Filed under: Internet, Competitive strategy, Dell (DELL), Starbucks (SBUX), Marketing and advertising, Next big thing, Target Corp. (TGT), Best Buy (BBY)

Once upon a time, retailers measured success by the number of people walking by in the mall, how many entered the store, the percentage they spent, and basket size. Now, a world of zeroes and ones has changed their perspective entirely. Social media is expected to be the star during the coming holiday season, with retailers pushing Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter content to get in front of consumers and affect either online or in-store purchases. Smaller Christmas budgets are expected, so the fight is on to garner as large a share as possible of a shrinking pie.

Of course, nobody would come out and say, "Social media is nonsense, and I'm not getting anything for my investment." So, when the likes of Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX), JCPenney (NYSE: JCP), and Target (NYSE: TGT) say that social media is connecting them with their customers and leading to more effective campaigns and product launches, do take it with a grain of salt. What can't be ignored, however, is that they're committing more resources to social media marketing, even though it's still far too soon to tell if it will be effective.

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Retailers push social media, want bigger wallet share for Christmas originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Investors less secure about McAfee

Tom Taulli — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Earnings reports, Dell (DELL), AT and T (T), Verizon Communications (VZ), Symantec Corp (SYMC)

While more and more software becomes free, there is one market for which consumers and businesses are willing to shell out money. Yes, it's security software.

A mega player in the space, McAfee (NYSE: MFE), reported its latest earnings report Thursday, a day after its main rival Symantec (NASDAQ: SYMC) reported its own quite strong results.

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Investors less secure about McAfee originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stars aligned for increase in IT spending

Tom Johansmeyer — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:20:00 EST

Filed under: Microsoft (MSFT), Dell (DELL), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), Intel (INTC), EMC Corp (EMC)

Windows 7, the latest operating system from Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), is expected to help jumpstart some IT spending. Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) also sees this happening. A new operating system often means a chance to upgrade from dated equipment that isn't worth upgrading, especially with favorable pricing for technology right now. Everything's coming together for a strong 2010 for the high-tech sector, so it's also worth watching Hewlett Packard (NYSE: HPQ), Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) and EMC (NYSE: EMC).

Continue reading Stars aligned for increase in IT spending

Stars aligned for increase in IT spending originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Can Dell be changed enough to be seen as innovative again?

Brian White — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Competitive strategy, Dell (DELL)

Michael Dell of Dell, Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) has confirmed the launch of a Dell-branded smartphone sometime in 2010, one has to wonder this: why? Now that Dell has slipped to third place globally in terms of PC shipments, the computer direct selling pioneer now appears to be rather non-innovative, save for the Adamo paper-thin laptop PC that it keeps touting.

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Can Dell be changed enough to be seen as innovative again? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple's impressive Q4 -- too late to buy the stock?

Steven Mallas — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:30:00 EST

Filed under: Earnings reports, Microsoft (MSFT), Apple Inc (AAPL), Dell (DELL), Technology

If there was one stock you wish you had bought when it was being crushed by the financial crisis along with every entity out there, it's Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL). Shares of the company, which counts Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) as rivals, have more than doubled since they hit a 52-week low of around $78 per share. Really, did we think this one wasn't coming back? Hey, I fully admit, I've been a bear on Apple at different points during the downturn. Difficult not to be, with consumer sentiment and all that.

Well, it's hard to be a bear now. Last night, the market welcomed Apple's Q4 earnings with open arms. How could it not? The first paragraph of the press release tells a story of profound growth. Sales increased 25%, and earnings per share soared over 40% to $1.82 per share.

Continue reading Apple's impressive Q4 -- too late to buy the stock?

Apple's impressive Q4 -- too late to buy the stock? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer passes Dell to become world's second-largest PC maker

Brian White — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Bad news, Competitive strategy, Dell (DELL)

Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) has perched precariously at the #2 spot among the world's largest PC manufacturers after larger rival Hewlett-Packard Corp. (NYSE: HPQ) passed it as the #1 several years ago.

Continue reading Acer passes Dell to become world's second-largest PC maker

Acer passes Dell to become world's second-largest PC maker originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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