Stocks to Watch, Jan. 26: Microsoft, General Motors, Qualcomm
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Among the companies whose shares are expected to see active trade in Thursday's session are Microsoft Corp., General Motors Corp., Qualcomm Inc., Nokia Corp., United Parcel Service Inc. and AT&T Inc.
Amgen Inc. (AMGN) is expected to report fourth-quarter earnings of 76 cents a share, according to analysts polled by Thomson First Call.
AT&T Inc. (T) is seen posting a fourth-quarter profit of 45 cents a share.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Dow Chemical Co.'s (DOW) fourth quarter is expected to show a per-share profit of $1.04.
Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY) is expected to report fourth-quarter earnings of 78 cents a share.
General Motors Corp. (GM) is seen posting a fourth-quarter loss of 16 cents a share.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Halliburton Co. (HAL) is expected to show earnings of 89 cents a share in its fourth quarter.
Lockheed Martin Corp.'s (LMT) fourth-quarter results are expected to show a per-share profit of $1.15.
Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) is seen posting fiscal third-quarter earnings of 33 cents a share.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Nokia Corp.'s (NOK) fourth-quarter profit is expected to come in at 29 cents a share.
United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) is expected to report a fourth-quarter earnings of 95 cents a share.
Verizon Communications (VZ) fourth-quarter 64 cents a share.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}After Wednesday's closing bell, Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM) said first-quarter profit climbed 21% amid strong sales of low-cost cell phones in developing countries and high-end handsets in wealthier nations. See full story. See After Hours column.
Watch List
Airgas Inc. (ARG) handed in a 34% higher fiscal third-quarter profit y, as strong sales pushed its results past Wall Street's expectations. See full story.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Alliance Capital Management Holding LP (AC) said fourth-quarter profit rose 27% as the money manager pulled in more institutional assets and the company got a boost from extra performance fees. See full story.
Altera Corp. (ALTR) reported its quarterly net income rose 20%, but the chipmaker's sales fell short of its own forecast. See full story.
Applied Micro Circuits Corp. (AMCC) reported a fiscal third-quarter net loss of $534,000, or breakeven on a per-share basis, vs. a net loss of $6.42 million, or 2 cents a share, in the year-ago period. On a pro forma basis, earnings came in at 2 cents a share compared with a loss of a penny a share last year. Revenue at the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based circuit maker rose to $65.2 million from $61.1 million a year ago. Analysts polled by Thomson First Call had estimated earnings of a penny a share on revenue of $65 million.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Burlington Resources Inc. (BR) reported fourth-quarter net earnings of $927 million, or $2.45 a share, up from $400 million, or $1.02 a share, last year. Revenue at the Houston-based oil and gas company rose to $2.37 billion from $1.56 billion. Total production during the fourth quarter was 2,887 million cubic feet of natural gas equivalent per day vs. 2,846 MMcfe a year ago.
CACI International (CAI) reported improved fiscal-second-quarter results and said while it expects a record year, a delay in U.S. defense budget legislation will cut into its revenue and earnings in the second half. See full story.
Callaway Golf Co. (ELY) said it pared fourth-quarter losses as sales increased. See full story.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Cephalon Inc. (CEPH) said it does not expect final action from the Food and Drug Administration on its pending new drug application for Sparlon, a treatment for attention-deficit/hyper activity disorder, until after the completion of several FDA advisory committee meetings. Frazer, Pa.-based Cephalon now expects to launch Sparlon during the second quarter.
Conexant Systems Inc. (CNXT) posted a first-quarter net loss of $24.27 million, or 5 cents a share, compared with a loss of $120.7 million, or 26 cents a share, in the same period last year. Revenue at the Newport Beach, Calif.-based semiconductor equipment maker came in at $230.7 million vs. $140.6 million the year before. Excluding certain items, Conexant reported earnings of 2 cents a share. Analysts polled by Thomson First Call were looking for a per-share profit of a penny on revenue of $226 million.
Juniper Networks Inc. (JNPR) reported a fourth-quarter profit that rose 60% from a year ago, but gave a weaker-than-expected first-quarter forecast. See full story.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian, through his Tracinda Corp. investment vehicle, recently bought 12 million shares of General Motors Corp, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission...(GM) See full story.
InfoSpace Inc. (INSP) reported fourth-quarter sales that rose 9% from the same period last year, and booked a tax benefit that helped the company's profits more than double. See full story.
LSI Logic Corp. (LSI) swung to a fourth-quarter profit as the computer-chip maker benefited from better-than-expected sales of the chips used in storage equipment and consumer electronics. See full story.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Meritage Homes Corp. (MTH) said fourth-quarter profit rose 97% from the year-ago period, driven mainly by higher home closings. See full story.
Novellus Systems Inc. (NVLS) reported a fourth-quarter profit that fell 39% from the same period last year, yet the results topped analysts' estimates for both earnings and sales. See full story.
PMC-Sierra Inc. (PMCS) reported its profit grew 39% from a year ago as it sold more chips used to power high-speed Internet networking gear. See full story.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Raymond James Financial Inc. (RJF) said its quarterly profit rose 15%, buoyed by higher interest income. See full story.
Sanmina-SCI Corp. (SANM) said fiscal first-quarter profit fell 13% as revenue declined but met analysts' average expectation. Sanmina said its profit was $21.2 million, or 4 cents a share, down from $24.4 million, or 5 cents a share, a year earlier. Revenue decreased 12% to $2.86 billion from $3.25 billion. Excluding items, the company would have earned $39.6 million, or 8 cents a share, down from $45.7 million, or 9 cents a share, a year earlier but just ahead of analysts' estimates. Wall Street analysts, on average, expected the San Jose, Calif.-based company would earn 7 cents a share on revenue of $2.85 billion for the period, according to a Thomson First Call survey.
Silicon Storage Technology Inc. (SSTI) said fourth-quarter net income was $8.44 million, or 8 cents a share. During the same period last year, the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based computer memory company reported a net loss of $26.9 million, or 28 cents a share. Analysts polled by Thomson First Call had expected per-share earnings of 2 cents. Silicon Storage said quarterly revenue was $133.2 million, compared with $104.1 million last year. Analysts were looking for revenue of $135 million.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Stanley Works (SWK) reported lower fourth-quarter net earnings than a year ago but higher sales. See full story.
.