Analyst upgrades:

• Deutsche Bank upgraded Clorox (NYSE: CLX) to Buy from Hold on valuation and believes upside to earnings forecasts is likely. The firm raised its target on shares to $66 from $65.
• Kaufman Bros. upgraded eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY) to Buy from Hold on expectations improved Marketplace fundamentals will serve as a positive catalyst for shares. The firm raised its price target on the stock to $29 from $22.
• Roth Capital believes Zumiez (NASDAQ: ZUMZ) is well positioned for improved results and margins. The firm, which upgraded shares to Buy from Hold and raised its target to $22 from $16, said September back-to-school results bode well for the holiday season and demonstrate that Zumiez can drive conversion during peak shopping periods.
• Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC) was upgraded to Sell from Conviction Sell at Goldman.
• Adobe (NASDAQ: ADBE) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Baird.
• Monster Worldwide (NYSE: MWW) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at JPMorgan.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ADBE, AZO, EBAY, GS, NOC, WFC ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ADBE, AZO, EBAY, GS, NOC, WFC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Look for Adobe's shares to rise one step ahead of the recovery

Look for Adobe's shares to rise one step ahead of the recovery originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

• Adobe Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE) just beat low Q3 earnings estimates but revenue also declined.
• Best Buy Co. Inc. (NYSE: BBY) earnings fell short of estimates but revenue was better than expected.
• Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc. (NASDAQ: CBRL) posted better-than-expected Q4 earnings.
• Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) posted a surprise Q3 profit but shares rose slightly on the news.
• Dress Barn Inc. (NASDAQ: DBRN) reported modest growth in both net income and revenue in Q4.
• FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) said that its Q1 earnings and revenue dropped but its cash flow has improved.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Adobe, Best Buy, FedEx, Kroger, Monsanto, Oracle, Palm ...

Earnings highlights: Adobe, Best Buy, FedEx, Kroger, Monsanto, Oracle, Palm ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 19 Sep 2009 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: Bears head to rehab (GE, KFT, CBY, ORCL, ADBE, FLEX, KERX)

Closing Bell: Bears head to rehab (GE, KFT, CBY, ORCL, ADBE, FLEX, KERX) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Adobe Systems (NASDAQ: ADBE), a software company whose colleagues include Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), issued Q3 results on Tuesday. Revenues dropped over 20%. Adjusted income was 35 cents per share versus 50 cents per share in the year-ago quarter.

As can be seen, Adobe is still suffering from the economic downturn. Not only did sales decline on a year-over-year basis, but they also dropped sequentially.Thankfully, management was at least able to beat expectations by a penny, as indicated by data at Earnings.com. Adobe also did relatively okay with operational cash flow.

Continue reading Adobe was challenged in Q3, but will a new acquisition add value?

Adobe was challenged in Q3, but will a new acquisition add value? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Deutsche Bank upgraded Garmin (NASDAQ: GRMN) to Hold from Sell as it believes the company's second half of 2009 is tracking better than expected due to retailer restocking. Deutsche raised its target on shares to $33 from $15 but thinks Garmin's long-term trends remain unfavorable.
• Goldman upgraded Fortune Brands (NYSE: FO) to Buy from Neutral citing potential EPS improvement driven by the Home division. Fortune Brands price target to $49 from $45. Note that the firm downgraded General Mills to Neutral from Buy.
• Oppenheimer upgraded FPIC Insurance (NASDAQ: FPIC) to Outperform from Perform to reflect the company's acquisition of Advocate MD and management's commitment to share repurchases. The firm set a $49 price target on the stock.
• PPG Industries (NYSE: PPG) and Olin Corp. (NYSE: OLN) were upgraded to Neutral from Sell at UBS.
• Synovus (NYSE: SNV) was upgraded to Neutral from Underperform at BofA/Merrill.
• Take-Two (NASDAQ: TTWO) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at Piper Jaffray.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ADBE, GIS, MAR, S, TTWO, VZ ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ADBE, GIS, MAR, S, TTWO, VZ ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Before the bell: Futures higher on Bernanke comments, Adobe-Omniture deal

Before the bell: Futures higher on Bernanke comments, Adobe-Omniture deal originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 07:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Adobe makes a big-time web deal for Omniture

Adobe makes a big-time web deal for Omniture originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

While On2 Technologies (AMEX: ONT) has strong video compression solutions, the company failed to get much traction over the years (a key reason was the licensing fee structure). It's been especially painful for shareholders.

But today there was some good news: Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) agreed to purchase the company for $106.5 million in stock. On the news of the deal, On2's shares spiked 49% to $0.57.

Continue reading Google plunks down $106.5 million for its video ambitions

Google plunks down $106.5 million for its video ambitions originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 05 Aug 2009 13:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

• Adobe Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE) Q2 earnings were in line with expectations but sales beat.
• Best Buy Inc. (NYSE: BBY) beat earnings estimates for Q1, but on horrible metrics, sending shares lower.
• Carnival Corp. (NYSE: CCL) lower Q2 earnings beat expectations and previous guidance, boosting shares.
• CarMax Inc. (NYSE: KMX) Q1 profit and sales dropped, but still beat expectations, sending shares higher.
• Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) posted a smaller-than-expected Q2 net loss and shares rose.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: FedEx, Best Buy, RIM, Adobe, Smucker, Discover and more

Earnings highlights: FedEx, Best Buy, RIM, Adobe, Smucker, Discover and more originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 20 Jun 2009 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The father of the PDF document, Adobe Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE), is starting to push further into the web-based document creation business. That strategy puts it squarely in the cross-hairs of Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) and its excellent Google Docs product, as well as software giant Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT), which is set to release a major online component with Office 2010.

Adobe indicated that a fee-based version its new online initiatives would allow businesses to covert all kinds of documents to the de-facto PDF standard, as well as hold online meetings via Acrobat.com.

Continue reading Adobe looks squarely at Google, Microsoft with new web-based tools

Adobe looks squarely at Google, Microsoft with new web-based tools originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: A win or a head-scratcher? (CSCO, ADBE, BIDU, SVNT, ETFC, FDX, STSI, YGE)

Closing Bell: A win or a head-scratcher? (CSCO, ADBE, BIDU, SVNT, ETFC, FDX, STSI, YGE) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Adobe Systems (NASDAQ: ADBE) said it earned 35 cents per share on an adjusted basis in the second quarter in a press release issued after the bell on Tuesday. Was it enough? Well, not exactly. According to the earnings preview, the market was betting on Adobe to make just that amount. Yep, it's that whole confusing Wall Street thing. Meet expectations, and you don't really pass the test.

Meeting expectations in this climate should be considered cool, though. And let's not forget that the software company did okay on the revenue side. Sales came in at roughly $705 million. The market was expecting about $10 million less.

Continue reading Adobe's Q2 profit comes in as expected -- should investors be bullish on stock?

Adobe's Q2 profit comes in as expected -- should investors be bullish on stock? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Adobe Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE), provider of Acrobat Reader, Photoshop, and other desktop publishing software, is scheduled to discuss its second-quarter 2009 results today in a conference call featuring CEO Shantanu Narayen and CFO Mark Garrett at 5:00 PM ET. You can catch the live webcast of the call on the company's website.

For the quarter in which the San Jose, Calif.-based software and services provider announced collaborations with Facebook, Texas Instruments, and Level 3 Communications, analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect the cash-rich company to report earnings of $0.35 per share, down 30.0% from the same period of the previous year. Revenue for the quarter ended May 29 is expected to have fallen 21.6% to $695.1 million. These numbers are in line with Adobe's previous forecast. Adobe's earnings have beaten analysts' estimates in the past five quarters by a penny or three per share.

Continue reading Adobe's Q2 profit expected to fall on weaker sales

Adobe's Q2 profit expected to fall on weaker sales originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

From TheStreet.com Network

• Coming Week: Volatile Trading Ahead
• Options Traders See Further TiVo Upside

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: Tech's unjustified super bull market run

Cramer on BloggingStocks: Tech's unjustified super bull market run originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 15 Jun 2009 09:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Investors know there's more to Adobe than the Acrobat Reader

Investors know there's more to Adobe than the Acrobat Reader originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 09 Jun 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Software giant Adobe Systems (NASDAQ: ADBE) has joined our model Growth Portfolio," says Stephen Leeb. Here's his assessment of the tech firm in The Complete Investor.

"When it comes to investing in tech, perhaps the most difficult task is to find one with a bona fide franchise, i.e., an ironclad grip on its market that keeps it largely immune to competition.

"Adobe -- also known as 'the PDF company' -- fits the bill. As most computer users know, PDF files are ones that you can read but can't change in any way-the content is controlled solely by the file's creator.

Continue reading Adobe (ADBE): PDF profits

Adobe (ADBE): PDF profits originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 06 May 2009 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: If the pullback never comes... (BAC, WFC, XHB, CROX, DNDN, BRK.A, ADBE)

Closing Bell: If the pullback never comes... (BAC, WFC, XHB, CROX, DNDN, BRK.A, ADBE) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 04 May 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Jefferies upgraded Cytec Industries (NYSE: CYT) to Buy from Hold on valuation and believes liquidity concerns are overdone. The firm raised its target on the stock to $27 from $20.
  
• Morgan Stanley upgraded Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) to Overweight from Equal Weight and raised its price target to $19 from $15. Morgan Stanley's survey indicates positive trends in the business supply chain and the analysts expects estimates to move higher from increased server MPU sales and growth in Windows 7.
  
• Pali upgraded Urban Outfitters (NASDAQ: URBN) to Buy from Neutral on valuation and believes the company's tough Q2 compares are already priced into the stock. The firm has a $25 target on shares.
• Research in Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) was upgraded to Conviction Buy from Buy at Goldman.
  
• MasterCard (NYSE: MA) was lifted to Buy from Hold at Deutsche Bank.
  
• Burger King (NYSE: BKC) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Banc of America/Merrill.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: INTC, RIMM, BKC, MA, ADBE ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: INTC, RIMM, BKC, MA, ADBE ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 04 May 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The television, whether we like it or not, will continue to evolve into a delivery mechanism for more than just an antenna, cable connection, or satellite television. Yes, many of us have all the game consoles and even internet connections strung to those flat-screen televisions. In five years or so, that cable connection could be replaced by a WiFi antenna and your flat-panel could be a internet monitor more than anything.

Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE) wants to make that happen sooner rather than later. It wants Flash -- the near-universal video and audio platform for the internet -- to become the standard on many sections of the home entertainment category. This includes televisions, DVD players, and game consoles.

Continue reading Adobe to add Flash support to TVs and more this year

Adobe to add Flash support to TVs and more this year originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 26 Apr 2009 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.