Investors.com

IBD 50: Top 5 Medical Stocks Include Celgene, Actavis

Sat, 18 May 2013 12:05:00 GMT

The market is in an uptrend, but it's important to search among the best-performing stocks for prospective winners. The IBD 50 list of leading stocks. Celgene got positive analyst comments earlier this month after reporting data from a late-stage trial of its psoriatic arthritis drug apremilast. Apremilast could help the 1 million arthritis sufferers in the U.S. and Europe, and be a winner for Celgene. Shares were down 2% for the week in stock

Baidu Rival Qihoo Spending Spree Seen Hitting Profit

Sat, 18 May 2013 12:02:00 GMT

China's Qihoo 360 Technology (QIHU) is expected early Monday to post its first year-over-year profit decline in three years, as the security company continues its charge against China search leader Baidu (BIDU). Wall Street expects Qihoo to post Q1 earnings per share of 14 cents, down 33% from 21 cents in the year-earlier period, according to Thomson Reuters. Sales are expected to jump 53% to $106.3 million. That would mark the slowest quarterly

Superheroes can't rescue declining video game business

Fri, 17 May 2013 22:58:00 GMT

Superheroes ruled the video game sales chart in April, but even their powers could not stop the industry from slumping for a 17th straight month year over year.

Sales of new video game products at U.S. retail dipped 25% to $495 million last month, from $658 million in April 2012, the NPD Group reported late Thursday. Sales this year through April are down 13% to $3.13 billion vs. the same period in 2012.

"These sales figures represent new physical retail sales of hardware, software and accessories, which account for roughly 50% of the total consumer spend on games," NPD analyst Liam Callahan said in a statement. "When taking into account our preliminary estimate for other physical format sales in April such as used and rentals at $76 million, and our estimate for digital format sales including full game and add-on content downloads including microtransactions, subscriptions, mobile apps and the consumer spend on social network games at $267 million, the total consumer spend in April is $802 million."

The top-selling game title in April was the superhero fighting game "Injustice: Gods Among Us" from Warner Bros. Interactive, a unit of Time Warner (TWX). It marked the first time that a fighting game held the top spot since April 2011, when "Mortal Kombat" claimed the title.

The top-selling game from March, "BioShock Infinite" from Take-Two Interactive Software (TTWO), fell to third place behind "Dead Island: Riptide" from Koch Media's Deep Silver.

New games did well in April, but older titles aren't selling as well, Callahan said.

"Despite overall declines, April title launches in 2013 fared better than games that launched in April 2012, up 118% in unit sales and 130% in dollar sales," he said. "Overall declines are stemming from the performance of games launched prior to April."

The best-selling video game console in April was Microsoft 's (MSFT) Xbox 360, which has been the top hardware platform, based on unit sales, for 21 months in a row, Callahan said. Microsoft is scheduled to unveil its next-generation video game console at an event on Tuesday.

Tableau, Marketo IPOs Ending Facebook's Tech Chill?

Fri, 17 May 2013 22:30:00 GMT

Big Data and cloud computing IPOs soared Friday as investor appetite for new issues -- particularly potential highflying techs -- seems to have fortified. Tableau Software (DATA), which helps companies mine and make sense of the massive silos of data they collect, surged 63.7% to 50.75 in its first day. Marketo (MKTO), a cloud-based software marketing firm, spiked 78% to 23.10. The two come a full year after Facebook's (FB) famous

Apple CEO Cook To Propose Major Corporate Tax Reform

Fri, 17 May 2013 21:10:00 GMT

Washington wants to get its mitts on corporate America's offshore profits and Apple CEO Tim Cook plans to tell Congress what it'll need to do to get a share of it.

Cook is scheduled to testify Tuesday at the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. The hearing is set to start at 9:30 a.m. ET. Cook and two lieutenants, CFO Peter Oppenheimer and Phillip Bullock, head of tax operations, are on the second of three panels called as witnesses.

The hearing will examine "the structures and methods employed by multinational corporations to shift profits offshore and how such activities are affected by the Internal Revenue Code and related regulations," the agenda says.

Apple (AAPL) is the poster child for hoarding foreign profits overseas. It has more than $100 billion in offshore cash and investments. Like other large companies, Apple sees little reason to repatriate those profits because they'd face a steep U.S. tax bill if they did. In fact, Apple recently decided to borrow billions to pay for cash dividends and share buybacks because that made better financial sense than to bring foreign profits home.

Cook has shared his talking points ahead of the hearing in interviews this week with Capitol Hill reporters. He will offer ideas for comprehensive tax reform.

In an interview with Politico, Cook made it clear that Apple is not dodging any of its U.S. tax liabilities. "I can tell you unequivocally Apple does not funnel its domestic profits overseas," Cook said. "We don't do that. We pay taxes on all the products we sell in the U.S., and we pay every dollar that we owe. And so I'd like to be really clear on that."

Last year, the New York Times alleged that Apple has gone to extraordinary lengths to avoid paying its fair share of taxes. In an article titled "How Apple Sidesteps Billions in Taxes," the Times described how Apple uses subsidiaries in low-tax locales like Ireland, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and the British Virgin Islands to cut its taxes.

Cook will paint a picture of Apple as a major creator of U.S. jobs and technological innovation and a booster of the economy. He'll note that Apple is one of the largest U.S. taxpayers, paying nearly $6 billion to the IRS for fiscal year 2012 and an estimated $7 billion for 2013.

What'll Happen To Software Company Revenue This Year?

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:55:00 GMT

The second half of the year is apt to be better for software and other enterprise tech companies, FBR & Co. analyst Daniel Ives says in a research note released Friday. So far, soft U.S. service provider and federal spending, general weakness out of Europe and company-specific issues are all playing a role in March- and April-quarter reports below expectations, his research shows. Companies missing the mark in the recent quarter ran a gamut from

Tech Gifts For Dads And Grads: Smartwatch, 3D Printer

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:35:00 GMT

June is a time for gift giving for Father's Day and school graduations. But shirts and ties just don't cut it anymore. Whether your recipient is a father or grandfather, or a graduate of middle school, high school, or college, a tech gift works. We'll venture a few suggestions: If your dad or grad is someone who has to have the latest technology, the I'm Watch, designed by Italy's I'm SpA, might be the ticker. The $299 watch connects to your phone

SolarCity Rockets On Goldman Deal; Tesla's In One Too

Fri, 17 May 2013 19:37:00 GMT

SolarCity (SCTY) stock took off Friday, up 26% in afternoon trading at a new high, following word Thursday that Goldman Sachs (GS) will finance more than $500 million in solar panel system installations for SolarCity residential and business customers. It's finance city right now for SolarCity and cousin company Tesla Motors (TSLA), the electric car maker, which is working with Goldman to finalize a secondary Tesla stock offering. SolarCity is

With Tech Spending Off, Rough Q3 Looms For Brocade

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:53:00 GMT

Shares of Brocade Communications Systems (BRCD), a maker of data center storage and networking gear, fell nearly 5% in afternoon trading Friday, after the company's revenue guidance late Thursday disappointed. Its fiscal Q2 results also lagged, in part because of weak business and government tech spending that was cited in the recent results of a number of tech companies, including IBM (IBM) and Oracle (ORCL), as IBD reported. Only three of 25

DirecTV's NFL Sunday Ticket: Punt Or Go For Renewal?

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:46:00 GMT

DirecTV Group has a big call to make on NFL Sunday Ticket, its popular programming package. About 2 million of the satellite TV broadcaster's subscribers, 10% of its customers, pay to get NFL Sunday Ticket. If DirecTV (DTV) wants to renew its exclusive deal to broadcast National Football League games on Sundays, it'll have to pay more than the $1 billion it now antes up each year, analysts say. The satellite TV broadcaster's $4 billion, four-year

Dell to PC business: 'I wish I knew how to quit you'

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:40:00 GMT

Dell has a love-hate relationship with the personal computer business.

After trying to distance itself from the low-margin PC business, Dell has chased corporate PC contracts with aggressive pricing the past two quarters. That move hurt the company's bottom line in its fiscal first-quarter results, released late Thursday.

Dell Chief Financial Officer Brian Gladden denied any change in business strategy during a conference call with analysts.

Raymond James analyst Brian Alexander asked why Dell (DELL) had embraced such "an abrupt change" in its PC pricing strategy in the last two quarters.

"I wouldn't say this has been an abrupt change," Gladden said. "As (PC) demand weakened over the course of the last year, we've recognized the need to stop shrinking at a rate faster than the market. And we've made those adjustments over the course of a few different quarters here and have seen the impact of that improve, in terms of growth rates, and at the same time impact short-term profitability for sure."

Dell executives say they're pursuing PC deals they deem "strategic." These are corporate contracts to build relationships that could lead to the sale of enterprise hardware, software and services, Dell's key focus now. While taking a short-term hit to profitability, Dell says these PC contracts can pay off in the longer term in cash flow and profitability.

Dell's lower PC pricing also helps it keep unit sales high enough to ensure attractive pricing for components for personal computers, servers and storage.

"We're not managing that business for one quarter at a time and I think there is a network effect to the impact of what we do there and the scale of that business and the customer relationships that we gain," Gladden said.

Dell generated 63% of its sales from end-user computing products, mostly PCs, in the first quarter.

UBS analyst Steven Milunovich also questioned executives on what he characterized as a "strategic shift" in PC pricing for Dell.

"I wouldn't say our strategy has changed really at all," Gladden said. "Tactically, we've recognized the need to be competitive. We've

Sina Swings To Profit With Alibaba Revenue Ahead

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:13:00 GMT

Shares of Sina (SINA) were up a fraction in midday trading Friday, after earlier rising as much as 5%, after the China Web portal late Thursday topped Wall Street's Q1 expectations, swinging to a profit and guiding for higher-than-expected revenue in the current quarter. The company reported earnings per share of 2 cents minus items, better than the 4-cent loss Wall Street had been predicting, according to Thomson Reuters. Sina lost 21 cents per

Can Autodesk Design Better Q2 After Q1 Slams Stock?

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:59:00 GMT

Autodesk (ADSK), the 3D design and engineering software maker, drew itself into a corner in Q1. The stock was down 7% in midday trading Friday, after earlier falling as much as 13.5%, after Autodesk missed analysts' first-quarter expectations and guided the year down. "Over the past several quarters, we have been experiencing uneven economic activity around the world," Autodesk CEO Carl Bass said on the earnings conference call late Thursday. "So,

Tableau Software IPO Rides Big Data Trend; Stock Pops

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:56:00 GMT

Shares of data-visualization company Tableau Software (DATA) vaulted 54% on the stock market Friday afternoon, after the company's upsized IPO priced above its expected range. Late Thursday, Tableau priced its 8.2 million shares at $31 apiece, raising $254 million. It had originally planned to offer 7.2 million shares at $23 to $26, but excitement was evidently building for a company associated with the Big Data trend. Its software helps companies

Facebook IPO A Year Later Resonating, Not Devastating

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:29:00 GMT

It was the third largest initial public offering ever, in terms of money raised, and far above any previous tech IPO -- and it's called a flop, the Facebook (FB) flop. Saturday marks the one-year anniversary of the much-hyped Facebook IPO. Whereas investors had visions of a soaring stock, the shares from day one have never gotten off the ground. Facebook continues to be by far the most popular social network, but user growth has slowed and, like

Aruba Stock Plunges, Cisco Seen Targeting Wi-Fi

Fri, 17 May 2013 13:49:00 GMT

Hurricane Cisco hit wireless gear maker Aruba Networks (ARUN) last quarter. That's the moniker Jefferies analyst George Notter gives the tech giant in a research report that speculates other corporate suppliers of data center and networking equipment -- such as Juniper Networks (JNPR), F5 Networks (FFIV) and Riverbed Technology (RVBD) -- might also be affected by Cisco Systems ' (CSCO) more aggressive marketing. Shares of Aruba were down 28% in

Google Maps Overhaul Seen Sending Ad Sales North

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:10:00 GMT

While the new music service got top play in the media among Google's announcements at is developers conference, the Google Maps upgrade is possibly as important. The online search leader on Wednesday unveiled upgrades to the No. 1 online mapping service designed to bring it more users on more websites, which should send its related ad sales heading north. Google released better location-based features for Maps and personalized Maps search results

Dell Earnings Takes Hit From Aggressive PC Pricing

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:10:00 GMT

Computer maker Dell late Thursday badly missed Wall Street's earnings target for its fiscal first quarter, but reported sales ahead of estimates. It's unclear if the report will have much impact on CEO Michael Dell's efforts to take the company private. Michael Dell and partners have offered $13.65 a share, or $24.4 billion, for the company. Some big investors say that's too low, but Dell (DELL) shares were flat in after-hours trading, after it

Tesla Rides Higher; New Stock To Pay Costs, DOE Loan

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Tesla Motors shares rose 8.7% Thursday, after being up as much as 12% earlier in the session to near the all-time touched on Tuesday, on word late Wednesday of a new stock and bond offering, partly to pay off a Department of Energy loan early. The company aims to raise $830 million, which also might come in handy as Tesla (TSLA) faces development and production costs this year. The luxury electric carmaker is in the top five of Nasdaq's most

Google's Larry Page emerges as tech's leading visionary

Thu, 16 May 2013 20:30:00 GMT

With his surprise appearance Wednesday at the Google I/O conference, Google co-founder and CEO Larry Page returned to the public spotlight after a prolonged absence. He also claimed his rightful spot as the tech industry's reigning rock star executive, a seat that has been largely unfilled since the death of Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs.

Page's re-emergence fittingly came the same week that Microsoft (MSFT) Chairman Bill Gates, the leading tech figure of the PC generation, gave a high-profile interview on the TV news program "60 Minutes." The timing seems like a passing of the baton. Jobs succeeded Gates in prominence as Apple (AAPL) led the drive into the post-PC or mobile computing era. And now it's Page's turn to lead and inspire as tech's top visionary.

The tech industry has no shortage of highly visible leaders, but many are at companies past their heyday or they're running companies created by others. The former would include Dell's (DELL) Michael Dell, Microsoft's Steve Ballmer and Oracle's (ORCL) Larry Ellison. The latter would include Apple's Tim Cook, Hewlett-Packard's (HPQ) Meg Whitman and Yahoo's (YHOO) Marissa Mayer.

To earn the status of tech visionary, an executive has to be a respected inventor or creator and lead a company that's affecting great change. The only person who could give Page a run for his money as top tech visionary would be Amazon.com's (AMZN) Jeff Bezos. Bezos not only built the leading e-commerce company, but he's also driving the cloud computing and digital content trends.

Facebook's (FB) Mark Zuckerberg and Netflix's (NFLX) Reed Hastings have earned their stripes as visionaries, but are focused on specific industry segments, namely social networking and streaming video, respectively.

On the other hand, Google's Page is thinking big. Not only is Google (GOOG) still trying to organize the world's information and make it accessible, but it's got its fingers in cloud computing, social networking, mobile computing and self-driving cars.

At the Google I/O developer conference, Page seemed to relish being on stage, giving his thoughts about the future and taking questions from the crowd. He gave off-the-cuff, conversational answers in a room with 6,000 developers and another 1 million watching online.

"Technology should do the hard work, so people can get on doing the things that make them happiest in life," Page told the crowd. He described what CNet referred to as "a technology-driven utopia."

Gilead Drug For Leukemia Shows Success In Early Trial

Thu, 16 May 2013 19:29:00 GMT

Gilead Sciences (GILD) late Wednesday announced results from the study of an experimental drug for leukemia that shrank tumors in more than half the patients tested. The pill, Idelalisib, is a treatment for patients suffering from chronic lymphocytic leukemia, or CLL, the second most common form of leukemia in the U.S. that can lead to life-threatening complications. The early-stage, Phase II trial represents a new push by Gilead into oncology by

Tech Stocks Woes: Cloud Shift Hurting IT Spending

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:58:00 GMT

Worries that cloud computing services are taking IT spending away from "old guard" hardware and networking companies has been a drag on tech stocks, says Barclays in a report. Many tech firms commented on soft spending by companies and other enterprise customers, such as government and education, in reporting March-quarter earnings. "We believe many established tech players may see some pressure as more applications and workloads move into the

Amazon Prime Instant Video Adds NBCUniversal Shows

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:52:00 GMT

Amazon.com (AMZN) on Thursday announced an expanded content licensing agreement with NBCUniversal Cable & New Media Distribution that will bring more programs to Prime Instant Video, the Amazon video streaming service that comes with its $79 Prime annual membership, two-day shipping program. As of Thursday, Prime members will have unlimited subscription streaming access to NBC's dark fantasy drama "Grimm" and USA Network's legal drama "Suits" and

NetEase 'World of Warcraft' Sales Slip; Stock Falls

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:27:00 GMT

Shares of Chinese Web portal NetEase (NTES) were down 6% in midday trading Thursday, after the company late Wednesday reported Q1 revenue that missed expectations, as interest in "World of Warcraft" slipped. The company earnings, though, easily topped views. NetEase said earnings per share rose 16% from the year-earlier quarter to $1.32, where analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had forecast just $1.20. But sales excluding taxes rose 11% to $346.6

ChipMos Stock Continues Runup After Q1 Earnings Beat

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:07:00 GMT

Shares of ChipMos Technologies (IMOS) were up 3.5% in mid-day trading Thursday after the company posted first-quarter earnings before the open that soundly beat earnings estimates. ChipMos provides semiconductor testing and assembly services to customers -- including makers of flat-panel LCD displays -- in Taiwan, Japan and the U.S. The Taiwan-based company's U.S. shares are up 67% since mid-March, and the company carries a strong IBD Composite

Cisco Systems Zigs Where Others Zagged, Stock Jumps

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:04:00 GMT

Shares of Cisco Systems (CSCO) soared as much as 14% in morning trading Thursday, after the No. 1 maker of networking gear late Wednesday reported earnings that beat views and gave in-line guidance. The fiscal Q3 report contrasted with the most recent disappointing results from many rivals, including IBM (IBM), Oracle (ORCL), F5 Networks (FFIV) and Juniper Networks (JNPR). As RBC Capital Markets analyst Mark Sue headlined his research report

Qihoo, 3D Systems Among Top 5 Techs By Fundamentals

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:05:00 GMT

Growth investors have to know how to distinguish flash-in-the-pan hot stocks from superior companies with a long track record of robust earnings and revenue growth. Today's Screen Of The Day spotlights companies with Top Fundamentals. These highly rated firms have three straight years of at least 25% year-over-year sales and earnings growth. There's a concentration of tech firms on the list. Here are the top five techs on the Top Fundamentals. Qihoo

PC sales estimates about to go from bad to worse

Wed, 15 May 2013 23:54:00 GMT

Another shoe is about to drop for the beleaguered PC industry.

On Tuesday, market research firm IDC said it expects spending on personal computers this year to decline by 3% in constant currency. Its previous forecast called for a 1% increase in PC spending in 2013, IDC analyst Stephen Minton told IBD. But "rapidly deteriorating PC shipments since the second half of 2012" caused the research firm to slash its outlook.

Now, IDC's PC analysts are revising their outlook downward for PC unit shipments as well. Analyst Loren Loverde said the firm will release its official forecast late next week or early the following week.

IDC's preliminary analysis is projecting "mid to high single-digit declines" in PC shipments this year. Its prior forecast, released in February, envisioned PC shipments declining 1.3% worldwide for the year, Loverde told IBD on Wednesday.

That's likely to spell bad news for major PC vendors like Dell (DELL) and Hewlett-Packard (HPQ).

Dell is scheduled to report fiscal first-quarter results after the stock market closes Thursday. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect the Round Rock, Texas-based PC maker to earn 35 cents a share, down 19% from a year earlier, on sales of $13.5 billion, down 6%.

For the current fiscal quarter, ending in July, analysts expect Dell to earn 38 cents a share, down 24%, on sales of $13.9 billion, down 4%.

Dell moved up its earnings report to Thursday from next week, leading to media speculation about weak profitability in Q1.

"We believe shareholders will be focused on whether long-term margins can be preserved in the face of a shrinking PC market and increased investments," ISI analyst Brian Marshall said in a research note Wednesday. "Given the secular headwinds in PCs facing Dell as it undertakes a multi-year transformation, we believe the Michael Dell/Silver Lake offer (to take the company private) is beginning to look more acceptable to shareholders, particularly given uncertainty around (investor Carl) Icahn's alternative proposal."

Meanwhile, Hewlett-Packard is set to report its fiscal second-quarter results on May 22.

Tesla Jumps, New Stock Offering Will Pay Off DOE Loan

Wed, 15 May 2013 23:03:00 GMT

Tesla's announcement of a new stock and notes offering, partly to pay back an Energy Department loan early and with CEO Elon Musk's participation, boosted its shares more than 5% after hours Wednesday. The electric car maker's stock was up 1.9% during the regular session, and 150% for the year through Wednesday. After failures of government-backed energy outfits such as solar manufacturer Solyndra, and

Google Music Service Trumps Apple, Takes On Pandora

Wed, 15 May 2013 23:03:00 GMT

Google on Wednesday trumped Apple by bringing to market a streaming-music service that's integrated with users' media libraries and Google+ social accounts -- yet another move to capture more of its users' time. The search giant also will release an unlocked Samsung Galaxy S4 running a special version of its Android mobile software. They were among a slew of product and software releases at the Google (GOOG) I/O developers

VoltDB Takes On Oracle, SAP In Big Data Market

Wed, 15 May 2013 22:28:00 GMT

Companies are demanding more from database technology, and VoltDB aims to answer the call. The 25-employee privately held company battles some of tech's giants, including Oracle (ORCL) and SAP (SAP), in offering companies what it says is the fastest and most efficient way to tackle Big Data, or making the best use of the increasingly large volume of digital data that companies collect. VoltDB, which released its first product

Cisco Systems Stock Jumps After Q3 Earnings Beat

Wed, 15 May 2013 22:28:00 GMT

Cisco Systems, the world's leading networking equipment company, on Wednesday reported fiscal third-quarter profit that was 2 cents ahead of expectations and sales in line with views, as it continues to grapple with slowing growth. Shares rose over 8% in after-hours trading. During the regular session Wednesday, Cisco Systems (CSCO) dipped a fraction to 21.21. Single-digit revenue growth year over year has become the norm for Cisco as sales of its

SunPower Outlook Lifts Solar Stocks, The No. 1 Sector

Wed, 15 May 2013 22:28:00 GMT

SunPower announced better-than-expected guidance for the rest of the year, sending market-leading solar shares sharply higher Wednesday. The No. 2 U.S. solar panel maker sees Q2 revenue of $550 million to $600 million, gross margin of 14%-16%, earnings per share of 5-15 cents, with 260-280 megawatts of solar energy projects recognized. Analysts had expected a 2-cent loss on about $508 million in revenue. For the full year, SunPower

AT&T's Stephenson: Innovation coming in data plan pricing

Wed, 15 May 2013 20:13:00 GMT

AT&T (T) CEO Randall Stephenson sees more innovation coming in wireless data pricing as well as faster broadband speeds to homes. Speaking at a JPMorgan conference in Boston, Stephenson said he expects consumers to get more mileage from mobile data plans. "There will be models that emerge where they defray consumer charges," he said. One such model is having content companies step up to exempt their traffic from billing systems. Walt Disney (DIS)-owned ESPN is reportedly interested is subsidizing wireless data usage so its mobile subscribers can view more video along with advertising, according to reports.

At the Mobile World Congress in February 2012, AT&T floated the idea of billing mobile app makers and content companies for bandwidth-intensive smartphone usage.

Stephenson also told attendees of the JPMorgan conference that he expects telecom firms like AT&T to invest in superfast Internet speeds in areas where there is demand. In April, AT&T said it would match the gigabit speeds offered by Google (GOOG) in Austin, Texas, if city officials grant the phone company similar concessions. Here's our report.

Prepaid Smartphones Devouring Market Share, NPD Says

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:56:00 GMT

U.S. smartphone sales rose 42% in the first quarter from a year earlier and an increasing percentage of them were prepaid, according to market research firm NPD Group. NPD said 32% of smartphone units moved in the quarter were prepaid, up from 21% in Q1 of last year. "In a quarter without a major product launch from either of the two market leaders, consumers refocused their attention away from the postpaid wars and toward finding the best value

SunPower Outlook Lifts Solar Stocks, The No. 1 Sector

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:25:00 GMT

SunPower (SPWR) stock rocketed up by double digits Wednesday -- and so did other solar panel makers -- as SunPower's analyst day yielded better-than-expected guidance for the rest of 2013 and the company looked out to 2015. It's the second big batch of solar manufacturer guidance goosing shares lately, after First Solar's (FSLR) long-range outlook in April. SunPower was up about 13%, and several Chinese players were up 8% or more in afternoon

Google Beats Apple To Market With Streaming Music

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:24:00 GMT

Google (GOOG) on Wednesday introduced a streaming music service and an unlocked model of Samsung's Galaxy S4 smartphone that runs a special Google-made version of its Android mobile software. The announcements were part of a spate of new developer-focused software releases at the search giant's annual Google I/O developer conference in San Francisco. The subscription music service, called Play Music All Access, is a $9.99-per-month program that

Agilent Stock Hits High On EPS Beat, Despite Guidance

Wed, 15 May 2013 16:53:00 GMT

Shares of measuring-instrument maker Agilent Technologies (A) gapped up more than 5% to a 52-week high Wednesday after the company beat quarterly profit estimates and announced a $1 billion share buyback, though its guidance was weaker than expected. Late Tuesday the company reported net income of 77 cents a share, beating analysts' consensus by 10 cents but down a penny from the year-earlier quarter. Fiscal Q2 sales were flat at $1.73 billion, in

ExOne Shares Drop As Q1 3D Printer Sales Fall Short

Wed, 15 May 2013 15:46:00 GMT

Shares of 3D printer manufacturer ExOne (XONE) sank Wednesday after the company posted first-quarter results late Tuesday that fell well short of expectations. ExOne shares were down more than 10% in late morning trading on the stock market today. But the fallout did not extend to rivals 3D Systems (DDD) and Stratasys (SSYS), with the former down less than 1% and the latter up 2%. Canaccord Genuity maintained its buy ratings on 3D Systems and

Is Groupon's new POS a real POS?

Wed, 15 May 2013 15:33:00 GMT

Tech companies love their acronyms. But often acronyms stand for different things in different settings. On Tuesday, when Chicago-based daily deals service Groupon (GRPN) announced a point-of-sale application for Apple (AAPL) iPads, I had to snicker. They call it the Breadcrumb POS. POS is slang for "piece of sh--," as in "That junky car is a real POS." (See Urban Dictionary definition.) I grew up in the Chicago suburbs where that term was commonplace, so Groupon should know better.

Groupon's POS app might be better than competing systems from eBay (EBAY) and Square, but it doesn't help to describe it as a "piece of sh--" up front. Same goes for all the other companies selling POS systems, including Panasonic, IBM (IBM) and NCR (NCR). Maybe that's the reason some companies call their products "point-of-purchase" systems.

If Groupon really has a great POS, maybe they should call it the Breadcrumb BFD.

Vipshop Stock Jumps On Q1 Beat, But Gains Evaporate

Wed, 15 May 2013 15:05:00 GMT

Shares of Chinese e-commerce firm Vipshop Holdings (VIPS) popped 11% to a new high early Wednesday after its Q1 results handily beat estimates. But investor euphoria quickly faded and the gains evaporated. Vipshop, which specializes in discount clothing, said net revenue more than tripled over the year-earlier quarter to $311 million, more than $40 million above analysts' consensus, according to Thomson Reuters. Profit was 17 cents per ADS,

ExOne 3D Printer Sales Lag, Blames Europe; Stock Down

Tue, 14 May 2013 22:42:00 GMT

The hot streak for 3D printer maker stocks hit a bump late Tuesday, when ExOne reported Q1 results well short of predictions. Company shares were down 9% in after-hours trading, after the company reported a per-share loss of 20 cents, where analysts were expecting an 11-cent loss. The maker of industrial 3D printers reported revenue of $7.9 million, where analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had expected $9.2 million. Shares of the three publicly

BlackBerry, Nokia look to emerging markets for growth

Tue, 14 May 2013 21:31:00 GMT

Common wisdom in business is that if you aren't first or second in a given market, you should consider getting out of it. That was Jack Welch's thinking when he ran General Electric (GE).

In the smartphone market today, there are two main handset makers -- Samsung and Apple (AAPL) -- and two dominant operating systems -- Google's (GOOG) Android (used by Samsung and others) and Apple's proprietary iOS. The latest smartphone figures from research firm Gartner, out Tuesday, show massive chasm between the top two players and the rest of the companies in the field.

That begs the question: What's to become of also-rans like BlackBerry (BBRY), Microsoft (MSFT) and Nokia (NOK)? Could they ever get the scale needed to challenge Samsung and Android or Apple? Or could they find niche markets or geographies where they can lead?

Samsung captured 30.8% of the global smartphone market in the first quarter, up from 27.6% a year earlier, Gartner says. Apple was in second with 18.2% market share, down from 22.5% a year ago. The next largest smartphone manufacturers in Q1 were LG Electronics (4.8% market share), Huawei Technologies (4.4%) and ZTE (3.8%).

BlackBerry ended out of the top five with 3% market share.

Nokia, which uses Microsoft's Windows smartphone OS, also placed out of the top five. In total mobile phone sales, when you include simple-function feature phones, Nokia is No. 2 with 14.8% market share, behind No. 1 Samsung (23.6%), Gartner says.

Microsoft's mobile operating system had just 2.9% smartphone market share in the first quarter, Gartner said. Android was the top smartphone OS in Q1 with 74.4% market share, up from 56.9% a year earlier. It was followed by iOS (18.2%) and BlackBerry (3%).

BlackBerry just launched its BlackBerry 10 operating system phones, the Z10 and Q10, but early results haven't inspired much confidence in a major turnaround.

IDC Cuts 2013 IT Spending Estimate; PC Spending Down

Tue, 14 May 2013 21:31:00 GMT

Worldwide IT spending growth is projected at 4.9% this year, down from 5.6% in 2012, as the U.S. government sequester and global jitters take a bite out of business confidence, research firm IDC said Tuesday. The new forecast is less than its previous outlook for 5.5% growth. IDC also said PC shipments continue to deteriorate as consumers shift to mobile devices. IDC's Worldwide Black Book says information technology spending was slightly below

EBay, Amazon.com Battling In Emerging BRIC Markets

Tue, 14 May 2013 21:31:00 GMT

The fast-growing BRIC countries of Brazil, Russia, India and China are shaping up as an increasingly key battlefield for e-commerce leaders eBay and Amazon. EBay (EBAY) says that over the next few years, it plans to push more deeply into these key emerging economies, where it already is maneuvering against Amazon.com (AMZN) directly or through companies in which it's invested. EBay CEO John Donahoe noted the BRIC focus when eBay reported its Q1

TripAdvisor Survey Says U.S. Summer Travel Will Surge

Tue, 14 May 2013 18:33:00 GMT

TripAdvisor (TRIP), in a positive sign for U.S. online travel agencies, issued a survey Tuesday that shows an increase in Memorial Day and summer travel plans by U.S. consumers. The poll of 1,200 U.S. respondents found that 30% are planning to travel this Memorial Day weekend and 86% plan to take a leisure trip this summer. This represents a 6% and 7% increase, respectively, vs. the corresponding periods in 2012. More travel is good news for

SolarCity Sinks On Q1 Costs; China Roils Solar Stocks

Tue, 14 May 2013 18:19:00 GMT

Shares of SolarCity (SCTY) fell Tuesday after the installer reported a bigger-than-expected loss amid higher costs, while solar manufacturers fell after a shipments shortfall predicted by a Chinese maker. SolarCity was down 7.5% in afternoon trading in the stock market today. But this is after the company's stock rose 10% Thursday, 9% Friday and 24% Monday. The stock, which priced its December IPO at $8, is trading near 33. Elsewhere in the solar

Cisco Systems Facing Challenges Ahead Of Q3 Earnings

Tue, 14 May 2013 17:40:00 GMT

Caution and challenges continue to be buzzwords surrounding Cisco Systems (CSCO) as it prepares to report its fiscal third-quarter results after the market close on Wednesday. Analysts say the No. 1 maker of computer networking gear faces slowing growth for its core routers and switches, due to a poor macroeconomy and technology shifts. The company is scrambling to build bigger businesses in such areas as the data center, wireless, security and

Groupon Launches New Point-Of-Sale Merchant iPad App

Tue, 14 May 2013 16:54:00 GMT

Groupon (GRPN) on Tuesday added to the cloud-based iPad and smartphone tools that it offers businesses by unveiling Breadcrumb POS, a free Apple (AAPL) iPad point-of-sale app. The app lets iPad-equipped quick-service eateries, salons, spas and retail merchants accept MasterCard (MA), Visa (V) and Discover credit cards at low rates of 1.8%, plus 15 cents per swipe. Groupon is offering participating merchants free processing on the first $5,000 in

Stratasys Beat, Buy Ratings Spark 3D Printer Stocks

Tue, 14 May 2013 16:47:00 GMT

Shares of 3D printer makers continued to rise Tuesday following better-than-expected Q1 results and solid guidance early Monday by Stratasys (SSYS), as well as buy ratings from analysts. Stratasys posted double-digit growth in revenue and earnings, as IBD reported. ExOne (XONE) is scheduled to report first-quarter earnings after the market close Tuesday. Shares of Stratasys were up 10%, and 3D Systems (DDD) and ExOne were each up 6.5% in midday

Take-Two Stock Up As Sales Double, Swings To Profit

Tue, 14 May 2013 15:07:00 GMT

Shares of Take-Two Interactive Software (TTWO) were up nearly 5% in early trading Tuesday, a day after the game maker issued fiscal Q4 results that beat analyst earnings and sales estimates. Take-Two's video games include "Grand Theft Auto" and "Borderlands." For its fiscal fourth quarter ended March 31, the New York City-based company late Monday said it swung to earnings per share of 38 cents minus items, vs. a loss of 60 cents in the

Verizon, Vodafone Stalement Seen Amid $7B Dividend

Tue, 14 May 2013 14:28:00 GMT

Shares of Vodafone (VOD) and Verizon Communications (VZ) showed no pop early Tuesday, despite a surprise $7 billion June dividend payment by Verizon Wireless to its co-owner parent companies. The dividend announcement late Monday has analysts trying to sort out whether a much-discussed deal over the U.S. wireless joint venture is further away. Verizon Communications owns 55% of Verizon Wireless; U.K.-based Vodafone owns the rest. U.S. shares of

Stratasys Extends 3D Rally As Reality Lives Up To Hype

Mon, 13 May 2013 21:30:00 GMT

Stratasys didn't blow out first-quarter results Monday, but 3D printer stocks rallied as investors cheered the latest evidence that the much-hyped technology continues to grow in popularity. The Minneapolis-based company earned 43 cents a share excluding various items, up 34% vs. a year earlier. Wall Street expected 38 cents. It was the 11th straight quarter of double-digit growth. Revenue rose 118% to $98 million, fueled by recent

SDN Rises As Technology Companies Join Forces

Mon, 13 May 2013 21:30:00 GMT

Software-defined networking could become the next big tech trend -- or not. Opinions are mixed, but many tech companies are betting on the former. In April, 18 tech companies -- including Cisco Systems (CSCO), Brocade Communication Systems (BRCD) and IBM joined forces to invest dollars and engineers to further develop SDN. Many expect SDN to become a staple of computer networks, saving enterprises millions of dollars in hardware costs.

Theravance, Glaxo, Elan Star In Biotech Soap Opera

Mon, 13 May 2013 21:30:00 GMT

Shares of small biotech Theravance hit an all-time high on Monday, rising 18%, as the company took a central role in a drama involving drug companies with very different agendas. Early Monday, Theravance (THRX) announced that Irish drugmaker Elan (ELN) is paying $1 billion for 21% of its potential royalties from a four-pack of respiratory drugs Theravance has been developing with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), which has long been rumored as a potential

Facebook Home fading fast; HTC discontinues phone

Mon, 13 May 2013 21:11:00 GMT

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has a major turkey on his hands in Facebook Home, the social network's smartphone software.

Tech blog BGR reported Monday that HTC plans to discontinue the HTC First, known as the "Facebook phone" because it shipped with Facebook Home pre-installed. Sales of the device have been "shockingly bad," BGR said. Unsold inventory soon will be returned to the Taiwanese phone maker. The device went on sale in the U.S. on April 12 from carrier AT&T (T).

Facebook (FB) announced its Facebook Home software for Google (GOOG) Android-based smartphones on April 4. It described Home as "software that turns your Android phone into a great, living, social phone."

Basically, Home is a user interface that puts Facebook apps like cover photos, notifications and text messages at the forefront, while burying other apps.

TechCrunch reported Saturday that downloads of Facebook Home have been falling fast as bad reviews spread. Facebook made some major blunders with Home, such as leaving out widgets, docks, and app folders, which Android users demand, TechCrunch wrote.

Last week, the Huffington Post and Salon wrote postmortems on the Facebook Home disaster.

Facebook should have seen the writing on the wall before it launched Facebook Home. A survey by Retrevo in March found almost no consumer interest in a Facebook phone. Only 3% of those polled said they'd even consider buying a Facebook smartphone. Some 15% said they'd need more information, but 82% flatly rejected the idea of a Facebook smartphone.

As of Monday, Facebook Home had a rating of 2.2 out of five stars, based on nearly 17,000 reviews, at the Google Play download store. Nearly 53% of reviewers gave the app the lowest rating of one star.

Facebook shares rose a fraction, to 26.82, in the stock market today.

Google+, Forbes Partner On Mobile News Project

Mon, 13 May 2013 19:52:00 GMT

Google's (GOOG) social network, Google+, is launching a content recommendation system for mobile users via a new partnership with Forbes. The "Mobile Recommendations" feature will suggest content based on what users have shared or "liked" on Google+ in the past. It will work something like this: If you're logged into Google+ on your smartphone and reading a story about a certain topic, and a story on Forbes is similar, Google+ will let you know

T-Mobile Stock Gains On UBS Upgrade, Continuing Runup

Mon, 13 May 2013 18:55:00 GMT

Shares of T-Mobile USA (TMUS), which completed its merger with MetroPCS Communications on May 1, were up 2% in afternoon trading Monday after UBS upgraded the stock to buy from neutral. The stock was trading near 19 in the stock market today and are up 22% since the recapitalized company began trading following the T-Mobile USA's acquisition of MetroPCS. T-Mobile parent Deutsche Telekom owns 74% of the combined company. UBS on Monday raised its

Are Apple, Samsung, others complicit in device thefts?

Mon, 13 May 2013 18:55:00 GMT

New York's attorney general is suggesting that Apple and other cellphone makers might be reluctant to add anti-theft technology to their devices because they benefit from replacement purchases when devices are stolen.

N.Y. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman on Monday sent letters to top executives of Apple (AAPL), Google (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT) and Samsung seeking information about their efforts to protect customers from the rise in violent street crimes known as "Apple picking."

The letters also seek information about whether the companies "have seen any financial benefit as a result of customers purchasing replacements for stolen devices," a press release states. Lost and stolen cellphones cost consumers more than $30 billion last year, according to mobile security company Lookout.

Schneiderman wants to know why the companies haven't instituted technologies that could render stolen devices inoperable and thereby eliminate the black market for them. He noted that thieves today steal smartphones and tablets and wipe their memories clean and resell them.

Schneiderman says he wants to collaborate with the companies to identify solutions that could minimize the economic incentives for theft.

In the Big Apple, theft of Apple products are a serious problem, with incidents often turning violent, he says. Between Jan. 1 and Sept. 23, 2012, 11,447 cases of stolen "iDevices" were reported to the New York City Police Department, a rise of 3,280 over 2011.

State attorneys general are known for pursuing civil and criminal cases against companies as consumer advocates, often for political gain, though the thefts are a serious problem. The previous two New York attorneys general, Eliot Spitzer and Andrew Cuomo, were subsequently elected New York's governor.

RELATED: Apple Smartphone Growth Slows

SolarCity, Other Solar Stocks Soar; SolarCity Q1 Near

Mon, 13 May 2013 18:08:00 GMT

Shares of SolarCity (SCTY) were up 29% in afternoon trading Monday, a new high, ahead of the solar installer's Q1 earnings report due to be released after the close Monday. Shares were trading near 37, after earlier hitting an all-time high of 39, on the stock market today. The San Mateo, Calif.-based solar design and installation company priced its IPO at $8 on Dec. 12. Wall Street's expecting SolarCity to report a per-share loss excluding items

Cyan Jumps After IPO Got Off To Slow Start

Mon, 13 May 2013 18:05:00 GMT

Investors look to be having second thoughts about Cyan (CYNI). Shares of the maker of computer network gear aimed at the emerging software-defined networking field were up nearly 10% in early afternoon trading Monday, two days after the company's desultory IPO, though there didn't appear to be any news. The company made its stock market debut at $11 on Thursday and inched up its first day to 11.14. Here was IBD's IPO report. Then it barely moved

Amazon.com Offers Virtual Currency to Buy Apps, Games

Mon, 13 May 2013 17:58:00 GMT

Amazon.com (AMZN) on Monday announced that customers can now use a new virtual currency called Amazon Coins to buy apps, games and in-app items in its Amazon Appstore and on Kindle Fire. To mark the launch, Amazon said existing and new Kindle Fire customers in the U.S. have had 500 free Coins -- a $5 value -- deposited into their Amazon accounts as of Monday. Amazon says the giveaway puts tens of millions of dollars of free coins in Kindle Fire

Netflix 'could be this decade's Amazon,' Tilson says

Mon, 13 May 2013 17:07:00 GMT

Someone should call PETA to complain about the bloody fight between bulls and bears in Netflix (NFLX) stock.

Investors are wagering billions betting on the success or demise of the streaming video company. Bulls say Netflix is leading a revolution in over-the-top television and has momentum on its side. Bears say the company is wildly overvalued and is due for a fall. Lately, the bulls have been goring the bears.

On Monday, Netflix shares rose on positive comments by noted value investor Whitney Tilson. Tilson told Yahoo Finance that Netflix is still relatively cheap.

He bought the stock in the fall when it bottomed out and has seen shares quadruple in value.

"I've been trimming it all the way up for sure," he told Yahoo Finance. "It's definitely a volatile stock. It's hard to value. But when I pitched it seven months ago, I said it's trading at 100 bucks a sub in a world of thousand-dollar subs, if you look at cellphone companies and cable companies on a per-subscriber basis. Now it's quadrupled and it's trading at 400 bucks a sub in a world of thousand-dollar subs."

Tilson said Netflix has great opportunities for international expansion and has created barriers to entry with its content portfolio.

"It's growing like gangbusters," he said. "But I think Netflix could be this decade's Amazon." Like Amazon.com (AMZN), Netflix is plowing profits into growing its business.

Netflix shares were up more than 4%, near 227, in the stock market today. The stock is at its highest level since September 2011. The stock bottomed at 52.81 in August. This year, Netflix is up 145%.

Meanwhile, some bears at the Seeking Alpha site continue to scream that Netflix is a bubble waiting to pop. One writer on the site Monday posted an article called "This Is Why Netflix Will Go Bankrupt." The anonymous author, going by the handle Buffett Junior, pointed to Netflix's "absurd valuation," negative free cash flow, its rising content costs and off-balance-sheet obligations as red flags.

Perion Earnings Soar On iPad Incredimail, Other Deals

Mon, 13 May 2013 16:11:00 GMT

Perion Networks (PERI) gapped up in massive volume to a new all-time high after the enhanced email provider beat analysts' Q1 profit and sales estimates. The Israeli company said before the market open Monday that earnings per share more than doubled to 45 cents, beating Wall Street's target by 9 cents a share. Sales surged 145% in Q1 to $27.6 million from $11.26 million a year ago, topping consensus of $23.8 million. It was the fourth quarter of

Stratasys Earnings Beat As Profit Margin Improves

Mon, 13 May 2013 15:45:00 GMT

Stratasys (SSYS) delivered first-quarter results early Monday that, like its peers, continued to show ongoing strength in the 3D printer market. Stratasys reported earnings per share of 43 cents minus items, above Wall Street's consensus estimates of 38 cents and 36% above the year-earlier quarter. It was the 11th straight quarter of double-digit EPS growth. Revenue rose 177% to $98 million, in line with consensus and its strongest percentage

Theravance Stock Hits High On $1 Billion Elan Deal

Mon, 13 May 2013 15:16:00 GMT

Shares of Theravance (THRX) gapped up more than 15% to an all-time high above 40 Monday, after the biotech received a $1 billion investment from Elan (ELN) in exchange for royalty payments. Elan invested specifically in the four-pack of respiratory drugs Theravance is developing in partnership with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK): Breo Ellipta, which the FDA approved on Friday, along with a related drug called Anoro Ellipta, and two drugs further back in

Stratasys Prints Big Profit On Higher-Margin Sales

Mon, 13 May 2013 13:49:00 GMT

Stratasys (SSYS) topped earnings estimates Monday morning, citing higher-margin 3D printer product sales. But sales fell a bit short of forecasts, and the company didn't raise full-year views. The Minneapolis-based company lost 40 cents a share in the first quarter. But adjusted earnings of 43 cents moved past the consensus estimate of analysts polled by Thomson Reuters. Revenue was $97.2 million -- $98.2 million adjusted. Wall Street expected