Last week, JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) led off the coming parade of earnings from the big banks when it reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter and full-year earnings, though its revenue fell short of estimates.

Plenty more earnings from the financial sector are due out this week. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters anticipate fourth-quarter earnings growth from American Express Co. (AXP), Bank of New York Mellon Corp. (BK), Hudson City Bancorp Inc. (HCBK), SLM Corp. (SLM) and US Bancorp (USB).

Continue reading The Week in Preview: Q4 Earnings Expectations for the Financial Sector

The Week in Preview: Q4 Earnings Expectations for the Financial Sector originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 17 Jan 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

• AirTran Holdings Inc. (NYSE: AAI) reported its third consecutive quarterly profit and will increase capacity.
• Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) shares soared after it reported very strong Q3 numbers.
• Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) reported stellar Q4 results, driven by the popularity of Macs and iPhones.
• BlackRock Inc. (NYSE: BLK) Q3 earnings soared, due in part to a tax benefit, and assets managed grew.
• Broadcom Corp. (NASDAQ: BRCM) revenue surged sequentially but note the would be flat going forward.
• Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) beat Q3 earnings expectations and shares rose though revenue slumped.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Amazon, Apple, Caterpillar, Hershey, McDonald's, UPS ...

Earnings highlights: Amazon, Apple, Caterpillar, Hershey, McDonald's, UPS ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 24 Oct 2009 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: The good off day (BA, JAVA, SLM, WFC)

Closing Bell: The good off day (BA, JAVA, SLM, WFC) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

From TheStreet.com Network

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Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: Warning: The financial media can be hazardous to your portfolio

Cramer on BloggingStocks: Warning: The financial media can be hazardous to your portfolio originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: A quiet day that didn't look quiet (BRK.A, BBI, SLM, SIRI, SWI, STT)

Closing Bell: A quiet day that didn't look quiet (BRK.A, BBI, SLM, SIRI, SWI, STT) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: A win that felt too quiet (BRK-A, BAC, CCL, SNDK, SLM, WLP)

Closing Bell: A win that felt too quiet (BRK-A, BAC, CCL, SNDK, SLM, WLP) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: From caution to almost cheers (GOOG, AAPL, SLM, CSCO, MCD)

Closing Bell: From caution to almost cheers (GOOG, AAPL, SLM, CSCO, MCD) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: The next run is on the insurers

Cramer on BloggingStocks: The next run is on the insurers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 02 Oct 2008 09:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

General Electric (NYSE: GE) is recently trading at $22.95 in pre-open trading, below its close of $24.50. GE is expected to report Q3 EPS on October 10. GE October option implied volatility is at 69, November is at 65; above its 26-week average of 31 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price movement.

SLM (NYSE: SLM), engaged in education finance, closed at $8.35. SLM October 7.5 straddle is priced at $4.25, November 7.5 straddle is priced at $5. SLM over all option implied volatility of 164 is above its 26-week average of 80 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price movement.

Option Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com

Option Update: General Electric volatility stays elevated after capital raise originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 02 Oct 2008 09:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This week, we've seen two major buyout deals come undone: the $6.1 transaction for Penn National Gaming Inc. (NASDAQ: PENN) and TPG's play for Bradford & Bingley. In fact, according to FactSet Research, about 20% of leveraged buyouts (LBOs) since mid-2007 have been terminated.

Despite all this, some deals are getting done. Perhaps the most notable is the BCE (NYSE: BCE) LBO. BCE has reached an agreement with its private equity sponsors and banks to close its $51 billion LBO. This will represent the biggest buyout in history.

Now, there are some wrinkles. The closing date will be extended to December and there will not be any dividend payments for the rest of the year. The break-up fee was also upped from $1 billion to $1.2 billion.

Yet, the fact is that the price tag will remain unchanged (at $42 per share). No doubt, this is a big feat, especially in light of the credit crunch.

Apparently, there was much discussion about renegotiating the price. Then again, the prospects of massive litigation were daunting, as we have seen in a variety of other deals such as with Clear Channel, SLM (NYSE: SLM) and Huntsman Corp. (NYSE: HUN).

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates MergerBook.com.

Finally, BCE's buyout is a real deal originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Since the market started its downturn early this year, I have avoided all financial stocks and resisted the temptation of value plays," says Dave Dyer.

In his Dave Dyer's Newsletter, he explains, "Well, it is now time to violate both of those prohibitions at once." Here, he looks at a new buy for SLM Corporation (NYSE: SLM), commonly known as Sallie Mae, the nation's largest provider of college loans and savings programs."

"There must be some financial areas that have predictable, growing demand, willing customers who actually have low default rates, and securitization processes that do not involve the type of financial engineering that is only intended to hide risk.

"Well, there is such an area, and it even involves a product that it makes sense to finance since it will actually increase in value over time. I'm talking about student loans.

Continue reading Sallie Mae (SLM): At the head of the class

Sallie Mae (SLM): At the head of the class originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Keefe Bruyette upgraded shares of Citizens Republic Bancorp (NASDAQ: CRBC) to Outperform from Market Perform on valuation following yesterday's sell-off, which they attribute in part to its removal from the Dow Jones Select Dividend Index. Shares were also raised to OUtperform from Perform at Oppenheimer following the sell-off.
  
• Goldman upgraded Hess (NYSE: HES) to Buy from Neutral citing the company's leverage to higher oil prices. The firm said oil is likely to hit $150-$200/bbl in the next 6-24 months.
  
• Stephens upgraded shares of Sanderson Farms (NASDAQ: SAFM) to Overweight from Equal Weight as they expect industry fundamentals to improve in FY09.

• Baird raised Stellent (NASDAQ: STEL) to OUtperform from Neutral.
  
• Friedman Billings upgraded Preferred Bank (NASDAQ: PFBC) to Market Perform from Underperform.
  
• Agco (NYSE: AG) was upgraded at Goldman to Buy from Neutral.
• Lehman upgraded SLM Corp (NYSE: SLM) to Overweight from Equal Weight.

Analyst upgrades: CRBC, HES, STEL, PFBC, AG, SLM and SAFM originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 06 May 2008 11:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• DJIA 12,622.93 (+3.66; +0.03%)
• NASDAQ 2,341.83 (-8.28; -0.35%)
• S&P500 1,365.41 (+0.70; +0.05%)
• 10YR-TBOND 3.729% (+0.033)
• 52-WEEK LOWS
• TOP 10 ANALYST CALLS

Continue reading Closing bell: Mixed day after major gain

Closing bell: Mixed day after major gain originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 17 Apr 2008 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: SLM Corp, Tempur Pedic and ITT Corp were today's noteworthy downgrades:

• Morgan Stanley downgraded SLM Corp. (NYSE: SLM) to Underweight from Equal Weight citing the impact on earnings from reduced government subsidies and disrupted capital markets.
  
• Tempur Pedic (NYSE: TPX) was cut to Neutral from Overweight at JP Morgan citing the consumer slowdown and increased competition.
  
• Credit Suisse downgraded ITT Corp. (NYSE: ITT) to Neutral from Outperform citing the surprised management changes announced last night.

OTHER DOWNGRADES:

• Cowen downgraded TechTarget (NASDAQ: TTGT) to Neutral from Outperform.
  
• Merriman lowered Jamba (NASDAQ: JMBA) to Neutral from Buy.
  
• LSI Corp. (NYSE: LSI) was downgraded at Merrill to Neutral from Buy.

Analyst downgrades: SLM, Tempur Pedic, ITT originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

JP Morgan downgraded Altria (NYSE:MO) from "overweight" to "neutral" according to Briefing.com. The news service also reports that Morgan Stanley downgraded SLM (NYSE:SLM) to "underweight" from "equal weight."

Lehman Bros. started coverage of NutriSystem (NASDAQ:NTRI) with an "underweight" rating, according to the AP.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

Early analyst calls (MO) (SLM) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Apr 2008 07:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Banc of America upgraded shares of Schering-Plough (NYSE: SGP) to Buy from Neutral on valuation, as they believe current levels already reflect significant cuts to the company's cholesterol franchise from ENHANCE.
  
• JP Morgan upgraded shares of Emergency Medical Services (NYSE: EMS) to Overweight from Neutral following the company's Q4 results.
  
• Friedman Billings upgraded shares of SLM Corp. (NYSE: SLM) to Outperform from Market Perform and raised their target to $25 from $23 to reflect the company's strengthened capital position, diversified sources of income, and attractive valuation.

• JP Morgan added Molson Coors (NYSE: TAP) to its Focus List.
  
• Citigroup raised Dynegy (NYSE: DYN) to Buy from Hold.
  
• Societe Generale upgraded Credit Suisse (NYSE: CS) to Hold from Sell.

Analyst upgrades: Schering-Plough, Emergency Medical Services, SLM Corp. originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 13 Feb 2008 11:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Oppenheimer downgraded Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) to "perform" from "outperform" and also knocked down Q1 estimates according to the AP.

Citigroup upgraded Dynergy (NYSE: DYN) from "hold" to "buy," according to Briefing.com. The news service also said that Bank of America upgraded Schering-Plough (NYSE: SGP) to "buy" from "neutral."

SLM (NYSE: SLM) was raised to "outperform" at FBR, according to 24/7 Wall St.

Early analyst calls: MS, SGP, SLM ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 13 Feb 2008 07:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Student loan manager Sallie Mae (NYSE: SLM) fell 42 cents to $19.73 on the news in Tuesday morning trading.

Bond demand is weak

The auction process is similar to those held for municipal bonds, corporate debt and other debt securities. However, Wall Street is not obligated to step in and buy student loan-backed securities when demand is weak.

Continue reading Students loan rates could rise as credit crunch hits student loan-backed bonds

Students loan rates could rise as credit crunch hits student loan-backed bonds originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 12 Feb 2008 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading How to play the financial sector right now

How to play the financial sector right now originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 11 Feb 2008 12:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

For the private equity space, it's been a mixed bag this week. The good news is that the $17.1 billion acquisition of Harrah's Entertainment got done (the largest casino deal in history). The buyers included TPG and Apollo Global Management LP.

But there was some bad news too -- it looks like Blackstone (NYSE: BX)'s proposed buyout of Alliance Data Systems (NYSE: ADS) is on the rocks.

So, in this environment, it's understandable that Wall Street is jittery with buyout deals. Just look at the pending buyout of Clear Channel Communications (NYSE: CCU).

Continue reading Clear Channel buyout -- even more more static

Clear Channel buyout -- even more more static originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 29 Jan 2008 13:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.