Initial Jobless Claims fell to 398,000 below 400,000 for the first time since early April, but keep in mind that 350,000 is the recessionary threshold. The Dow Jones Industrial Average opened around the flat line then rebounded above its 50-day simple moving average at 12,331 to a morning high of 12,384.90. In afternoon trading the Dow dipped into the red just below 12,270 in the final half hour of trading. The NASDAQ stayed above its 50-day simple moving average at 2755 trading up to 2800, shy of its 21-day simple moving average at 2809. The afternoon low for the NASDAQ stayed in the green with a dip below 2775 in the final half hour of trading.
Asian stocks were mixed on Thursday with the Nikkei 225 down 1.5% to 9,901. The Hang Seng gained a fractional 0.1% to 22,571. European stocks were mixed. The FTSE 100 gained 0.3% to 5,873. The DAX fell by 0.9% to 7,190. The CAC 40 lost 0.6% to 3,713. The yield on the 10-Year US Treasury note traded between 2.988 percent and 2.925 on Thursday before Thursday’s US Treasury auction. The US Treasury auctioned $29 billion 7-Year notes at 2.28% with a solid bid to cover at 2.63 times. The 10-Year yield rose slightly after the auction but stayed in the day’s range. Gold traded down from $1620.6 the Troy ounce to $1602.8 with the price action below Wednesday’s all time high at $1628.8. Crude oil traded down from $97.82 per barrel to $96.51 then back up to $98.01, as the $100.00 barrier remains strong resistance. The euro versus the US dollar declined from 1.4398 to 1.4258.
Energy
Shell’s (RDS.A) Q2 net profit almost doubled to $8.66B as the company benefited from rising oil prices and the first contributions from recently opened flagship projects in Qatar and Canada. Exxon Mobil (XOM) reported 2Q EPS of $2.18 versus $2.33 estimate. Murphy Oil (MUR) missed estimates by 7 cents on revenue of $8.12B. Cameron International (CAM) beat estimates by 2 cents and revenue by $90M. Noble Energy (NBL) beat estimates by 12 cents and revenue of $35M. Equitable Resources (EQT) beat estimates by 18 cents and revenue by $38M. CONSOL Energy (CNX) missed estimates by 4 cents, but beat revenue by $170M. Talisman Energy (TLM) missed estimates by 9 cents, but beat revenue by $120M. Suncor Energy (SU) missed estimates by CDN$0.04. Whiting Petroleum (WLL) missed estimates by a penny, but beat revenue by $4M. Oceaneering International (OII) beat estimates by 4 cents and revenue by $37M. Cabot Oil & Gas (COG) beat estimates by 14 cents, but missed revenue by $7M. Trina Solar (TSL) is taken to Neutral from Buy by brokers Collins Stewart. Hess (HES) is downgraded to Hold from Buy at Deutsche Bank with a new price objective of $75. In afternoon trading: Shares of Gastar Exploration (GST) are up about 24% after announcing that it has completed the drilling and stimulation of its first two horizontal Marcellus wells in Marshall County, West Virginia.
Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE) was trading at $77.22 at 4:00 PM on Thursday, down 0.41% on the day – up 13.14% year-to-date.
Materials
DuPont (DD) reported profit of $1.37 (ex-items) versus $1.34 estimates and raised 2011 guidance. Potash (POT) beat estimates by 11 cents and revenue by $350M. International Paper (IP) beat estimates by 13 cents with revenue in-line with estimates. Barrick Gold (ABX) beat estimates by 8 cents and revenue by $110M. Agnico-Eagle Mines (AEM) reported Q2 EPS of $0.47 (in-line) on revenue of $453M. Goldcorp (GG) reported Q2 EPS of $0.52 (in-line) on revenue of $1.38B. Sealed Air (SEE) beat estimates by 2 cents with revenue in-line with estimates. Cliffs Natural Resources (CLF) missed estimates by 79 cents with revenue in-line with estimates. Owens-Illinois (OI) missed estimates by 2 cents, but beat revenue by $70M. Dow Chemical (DOW) is now Neutral from Underperform at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch. Noranda Aluminum (NOR) is hoisted to Buy from Hold at Citigroup.
The Materials Select Sector SPDR (XLB) traded at $38.44 at 4:00 PM on Thursday, down 0.21% on the day – up 0.08% year-to-date.
Industrials
AGCO Corp (AGCO) beat estimates by 20 cents and revenue by $140M. Waste Management (WM) missed estimates by 12 cents with revenue in-line with estimates. GrafTech International (GTI) beat estimates by 2 cents with revenue in-line with estimates. Rockwell Automation (ROK) beat estimates by 3 cents and revenue by $20M, and sees FY’11 EPS of $4.55-4.65. Raytheon (RTN) beat estimates by 7 cents and revenue by $30M. Tyco International (TYC) beat estimates by 12 cents and revenue by $80M. Kirby (KEX) beat estimates by 3 cents and revenue by $49M. Equifax (EFX) beat estimates by a penny, but missed revenue by $2M. KBR Inc. (KBR) beat estimates by 12 cents and revenue by $100M. Energy Recovery (ERII) is resumed with a Market Perform at Rodman & Renshaw. Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) is raised to Top Pick from Outperform at RBC Capital. Siemens (SI) gets lowered to Hold from Buy at S&P Equity Research. Knight Transportation (KNX) is now Neutral from Buy at Sterne Agee. In afternoon trading: Shares of Oshkosh Truck (OSK) are down about 14% despite beating estimates by 2 cents and revenue by $130M, as sales slipped 13% and profits were down nearly 68%.
The Industrial Select Sector SPDR (XLI) traded at $34.85 at 4:00 PM on Thursday, down 0.85% on the day – down 0.06% year-to-date.
Consumer Discretionary
News Corp. (NWS) is reportedly canvassing its biggest shareholders on Rupert Murdoch’s succession, his family’s control of the company, the board’s independence, and corporate governance. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (GT) beat estimates by 38 cents and revenue by $420M. BorgWarner (BWA) beat estimates by 13 cents and revenue by $80M. McGraw-Hill Companies (MHP) beat estimates by a penny with revenue in-line with estimates and expects to achieve the top end of 2011 diluted EPS guidance of $2.79-2.89. Interpublic Group of Companies (IPG) reported Q2 EPS of $0.19 (in-line) and revenue of $1.7B (in-line), and affirms FY’11 targets of 4-5% organic growth and at least 9.5% operating margin. Liz Claiborne (LIZ) beat estimates by 5 cents and revenue by $303M. D.R. Horton (DHI) beat estimates by 2 cents, but missed revenue by $13M. Dana Holding Corp (DAN) beat estimates by 8 cents and revenue by $80M. Time Warner Cable (TWC) beat estimates by 9 cents with revenue in-line with estimates. O’Reilly Automotive (ORLY) report Q2 EPS of $0.96 (in-line) and revenue of $1.4B (in-line). HomeAway (AWAY) reported Q2 EPS of -$0.17 and revenue of $58.7M. The newly public company expects revenue of $57-58M in Q3 and $224-226M for FY11. Crocs (CROX) beat estimates by 18 cents and revenue by $14M, and guides for Q3 revenue and EPS of $280M and $0.40 (above $264.2M and $0.32 consensus). Tiffany & Co (TIF) is a new Neutral at Merriman, which begins both Williams-Sonoma (WSM) and Lululemon Athletica (LULU) with Buys. Wendy’s (WEN) is picked up at a Buy at Janney Montgomery. Gap (GPS) gets upgraded to Buy from Hold at Jefferies. Lumber Liquidators (LL) is lifted to Neutral from Sell at Janney. Skechers USA (SKX) is increased to Buy from Hold at BB&T Capital. J.C. Penney (JCP) is raised to Buy from Fair Value at CRT Capital. PF Chang’s (PFCB) is cut to Sector Perform from Outperform at RBC Capital. Destination Maternity (DEST) is downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Sterne Agee. In afternoon trading: Shares of Skechers are up about 18.5%. Shares of Crocs are up about 15%. Shares of GNC Holdings (GNC) are up about 13%. Shares of Liz Claiborne are up about 13%. Shares of The Talbots (TLB) are up about 11.5%. Shares of Borgwarner are up about 10.5%. Shares of Interpublic Group of Companies are down about 16.25%. Shares of Imax (IMAX) are down about 15.25%. Shares of Royal Caribbean (RCL) are down about 11%.
The Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (XLY) traded at $39.84 at 4:00 PM on Thursday, down 0.50% on the day – up 6.50% year-to-date.
Consumer Staples
Kellogg Company (K) beat estimates by 3 cents and revenue by $100M and reaffirmed FY’11 EPS guidance of $3.33-3.40. Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) reported Q2 EPS of $0.74 (in-line), while beating revenue by $100M. Avon (AVP) missed estimates by a penny and revenue by $30M. Colgate-Palmolive Company (CL) beat estimates by a penny and revenue by $20M. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR) beat estimates by 12 cents and revenue by $110M, and issued FQ4 guidance of 100-105% revenue growth and non-GAAP EPS of $0.44-$0.48 (above consensus of 88% growth and $0.43 EPS) and FY12 guidance of 60-65% revenue growth and $2.55-$2.65 non-GAAP EPS (above consensus of 41% growth and $2.15 EPS). Whole Foods Market (WFM) beat estimates by 2 cents with revenue in-line with estimates. In afternoon trading: Shares of Green Mountain Coffee are up about 16%.
The Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP) traded at $31.03 at 4:00 PM on Thursday, unchanged on the day – up 5.87% year-to-date.
Healthcare
Pfizer (PFE) reportedly favors spinning off its animal health unit rather than selling it, but would still consider acquisition proposals for the business, which could be valued at $12B-$15B. Shares in Emdeon (EM) closed yesterday up over 22% following reports that private-equity firm Blackstone (BX) is in advanced talks to buy the healthcare IT company for around $3B. Boston Scientific (BSX) beat estimates by 9 cents and revenue by $40M. DENTSPLY International (XRAY) beat estimates by 4 cents and revenue by $35M. Bristol-Myers (BMY) beat estimates by a penny and revenue by $360M and raised FY’11 non-GAAP EPS guidance to $2.20-2.30. Incyte (INCY) missed estimates by 5 cents and revenue by $2.4M. Celgene (CELG) beat estimates by 4 cents and revenue by $60M, and raised FY’11 EPS guidance to $3.45-3.55, from prior guidance of $3.35-3.40. AmerisourceBergen (ABC) beat estimates by 7 cents with revenue in-line with estimates, and revised up FY’11 EPS guidance to $2.52-2.56, vs. prior guidance of $2.41-2.49 and consensus of $2.49. Health Management Associates (HMA) beat estimates by a penny with revenue in-line with estimates. Universal Health Services (UHS) beat estimates by a penny with revenue in-line with estimates. Healthsouth (HLS) is moved to Outperform from Market Perform at JMP Securities. Varian Medical (VAR) is now Neutral from Outperform at Robert W. Baird. In afternoon trading: Shares of Hill-Rom Holdings (HRC) are down about 19% as Q3 earnings plummeted 95% to $1.5 million, or $0.02 per share.
The Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) traded at $34.30 at 4:00 PM on Thursday, down slightly on the day – up 8.89% year-to-date.
Financials
HSBC (HBC) is reportedly finalizing plans to cut over 10,000 jobs, with losses to come from the streamlining of its head office and the closure of retail banking ops in non-core markets. Visa’s (V) FQ3 earnings beat forecasts as EPS jumped 40% to $1.43 and revenue increased 14% to $2.32B. As with American Express (AXP), Visa’s growth was driven by higher volume, with consumers increasingly using cards rather than cash and checks to pay for items. Legg Mason (LM) missed estimates by a penny and revenue by $5M. Synovus Financial (SNV) reported Q2 EPS of -$0.06 (in-line). Senior Housing Properties Trust (SNH) missed estimates by a penny, but beat revenue by $3M. Cincinnati Financial (CINF) reported Q2 EPS of -$0.30 (vs.consensus of -$0.59), while missing revenue by $151M. Ameriprise Financial (AMP) missed estimates by a penny with revenue in-line with estimates. Capstead Mortgage (CMO) beat estimates by 3 cents on revenue of $61.5M. CB Richard Ellis Group (CBG) missed estimates by 3 cents, but beat revenue by $40M. Equity Residential (EQR) reported Q2 EPS of $0.60 (in-line), while missing revenue by $26M. Duke Realty (DRE) beat estimates by a penny, but missed revenue by $10M. Brandywine Realty Trust (BDN) beat estimates by a penny and revenue by $4M. AvalonBay Communities (AVB) beat estimates by a penny. Torchmark (TMK) beat estimates by a penny. Aflac (AFL) beat estimates by 2 cents, but missed revenue by $590M. Visa (V) beat estimates by 3 cents with revenue in-line with estimates, and expects full-year EPS growth of more than 20% even as revenue grows around 11-15% due to regulation. LTC Properties (LTC) is launched at an Outperform with Wells Fargo. Arthur Gallagher (AJG) gets increased to Buy from Hold at Stifel Nicolaus. Banco Santander (STD) is downgraded to Sell from Hold at the Royal Bank of Scotland. AvalonBuy Communities (AVB) is cut to Hold from Buy at KeyBanc Capital.
The Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF) traded at $14.84 at 4:00 PM on Thursday, up slightly on the day – down 6.96% year-to-date.
Information Technology
Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) swung to a Q2 net profit of €43M ($61.4M) from a loss of €184M a year earlier and confirmed its full-year targets. Nintendo (NTDOY.PK) reported an FQ1 loss of $328M, accompanied by a 50.2% Y/Y revenue drop. Monster Worldwide (MWW) beat estimates by a penny and revenue by $4M, sees Q3 EPS of $0.10-0.14 vs. $0.12 consensus and Q3 revenue of $260M-270M vs. $280M consensus. Motorola Solutions (MSI) beat estimates by 6 cents and revenue by $40M, sees Q3 EPS of $0.56-0.61 vs. $0.57 consensus and FY’11 revenue of $8.304B-8.343B vs. $8.25B consensus. Logitech’s (LOGI) CEO Gerald Quindlen resigns after it swings to a deeper-than-expected FQ1 net loss of $29.6M from a net profit of $19.5M a year earlier, and lowers its outlook. Mead Johnson Nutrition (MJN) beat estimates by 3 cents and revenue by $53M and raised FY’11 EPS guidance to $2.70-2.75 vs. $2.62-2.70 prior guidance. Automatic Data Processing (ADP) missed estimates by a penny, but beat revenue by $60M. EarthLink (ELNK) beat estimates by 2 cents and revenue by $14M. Arris Group (ARRS) beat estimates by 6 cents, but missed revenue by $6M. BMC Software (BMC) beat estimates by 4 cents, but missed revenue by $4M. InterDigital Communications (IDCC) beat estimated by a penny and revenue by $700M. Intersil (ISIL) reported Q2 EPS of $0.17 (in-line), while beating revenue by $1M. Teradyne (TER) beat estimates by 9 cents and revenue by $19M. Amdocs (DOX) beat estimates by a penny and revenue by $3M. LSI Logic (LSI) reported Q2 EPS of $0.10 (in-line), while beating revenue by $19M, and guides for Q3 revenue of $535M-$565M (beating consensus of $510.7M) and Q3 non-GAAP EPS of $0.11-$0.17 (versus $0.12 consensus). Lam Research (LRCX) beat estimates by 5 cents and revenue by $3M. Amkor Technology (AMKR) beat estimates by 3 cents and revenue by $13M. TriQuint Semiconductor (TQNT) reported EPS of $0.17 (in-line), while missing revenue by $8M. Citrix Systems (CTXS) beat estimates by 2 cents and revenue by $8M, and issued FQ3 revenue guidance of $540M-$547M (in line with $542.8M consensus), FQ3 non-GAAP EPS guidance of $0.56-$0.58 (below $0.61 consensus), FY11 revenue guidance of $2.16B-$2.19B (above $2.16B consensus) and FY11 non-GAAP EPS guidance of $2.38-$2.41 (below $2.42 consensus). Symantec (SYMC) beat estimates by 3 cents and revenue by $60M, and issued FQ2 revenue guidance of $1.655B-$1.675B (above $1.62B consensus) and FQ2 non-GAAP EPS guidance of $0.38-$0.39 (roughly in line with $0.38 consensus). Akamai Technologies (AKAM) missed estimates by a penny with revenue in-line with estimates, and guided for Q3 revenue of $273-$283M and EPS of $0.31-$0.34(below a consensus of $288.5M and $0.38). Cabot Microelectronics (CCMP) reported FQ3 revenue and EPS of $111.8M and $0.54 (below consensus of $114.5M and $0.68). Cisco Systems (CSCO) is lifted to Buy from Neutral boost at Goldman Sachs. Symantec (SYMC) is raised to Buy from Hold with Wunderlich with a new target price of $22. STMicroelectronics (STM) is moved to Hold from Buy at Jefferies. Akamai Tech (AKAM) is taken to Outperform from Strong Buy at Credit Agricole. In afternoon trading: Shares of Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) are down about 20% after weaker-than-expected earnings results, adding to concerns about a sector-wide slowdown. Shares of Sequans Communications (SQNS) are down about 45% after the company reported Q2 results more or less in line, but warned that customers for its “Wimax” broadband wireless chips have become “more cautious,” and offered a disappointing outlook for the rest of this year. . Shares of TriQuint are down about 25%. Shares of THQ (THQI) are down about 21.5% after reporting weak results for its first quarter. Shares of Akamai Tech are down about 19%. Shares of Quantum (QTM) are down about 17.5%. Shares of RightNow Technologies (RNOW) are up about 19.25%. Shares of LSI are up about 15%. Shares of Arris Group are up about 11.25%.
The Technology Select Sector SPDR (XLK) traded at $26.02 at 4:00 PM on Thursday, down slightly on the day – up 3.29% year-to-date.
Telecommunications Services
LightSquared and Sprint (S) have entered into a 15-year agreement in which LightSquared will pay Sprint $9B in cash and an estimated $4.5B in credits for LTE and satellite equipment. In exchange, Sprint will host LightSquared’s spectrum and provide network services, while LightSquared will have roaming access to Sprint’s 3G network. NII (NIHD) missed estimates by 10 cents, but beat revenue by $40M. Sprint Nextel (S) beat estimates by 5 cents with revenue in-line with estimates, while adding nearly 1.1M net wireless customers in Q2. Crown Castle International (CCI) reported Q2 EPS of $0.09 (in-line), while beating revenue by $3M. In afternoon trading: Shares of Clearwire (CLWR) are down about 23.5% in reaction to the Sprint Nextel / LightSquared deal to build another network. Shares of Sprint Nextel are down about 17.25%.
The NASDAQ Telecommunications Index (IXTC) traded at $203.46 at 4:00 PM on Thursday, up 0.62% on the day – down 9.72% year-to-date.
Utilities
Wisconsin Energy (WEC) beat estimates by 4 cents, but missed revenue by $5.6M. Dominion Resources (D) missed estimates by a penny with revenue in-line with estimates. CMS Energy (CMS) missed estimates by a penny, but beat revenue by $310M. Xcel Energy (XEL) beat estimates by 2 cents and revenue by $110M. Questar (STR) reported Q2 EPS of $0.20 (in-line), while beating revenue by $14M. E.ON AG (EONGY) is upgraded to Buy from Hold at Deutsche Bank. NextEra Energy (NEE) is now Neutral from Buy with a $59 target at brokerage Robert W. Baird. In afternoon trading: Shares of Tokyo Electric Power (TKECF) are up about 11.5%.
The Utilities Select Sector SPDR (XLU) traded at $33.51 at 4:00 PM on Thursday, down 0.62% on the day – up 6.92% year-to-date.
STOCKS: RDS.A, XOM, MUR, CAM, NBL, EQT, CNX, TLM, SU, WLL, OII, COG, TSL, HES, GST, DD, POT, IP, ABX, AEM, GG, SEE, CLF, OI, DOW, NOR, AGCO, WM, GTI, ROK, RTN, TYC, KEX, EFX, KBR, ERII, CP, SI, KNX, OSK, NWS, GT, BWA, MHP, IPG, LIZ, DHI, DAN, TWC, ORLY, AWAY, CROX, TIF, WSM, LULU, WEN, GPS, LL, SKX, JCP, PFCB, DEST, GNC, TLB, IMAX, RCL, K, CCE, AVP, CL, GMCR, WFM, PFE, EM, BX, BSX, XRAY, BMY, INCY, CELG, ABC, HMA, UHS, HLS, VAR, HRC, HBC, V, AXP, LM, SNV, SNH, CINF, AMP, CMO, CBG, EQR, DRE, BDN, AVB, TMK, AFL, LTC, AJG, STD, ALU, NTDOY, MWW, MSI, LOGI, MJN, ADP, ELNK, ARRS, BMC, IDCC, ISIL, TER, DOX, LSI, LRCX, AMKR, TQNT, CTXS, SYMC, CCMP, CSCO, SQNS, THQI, QTM, RNOW, S, NIHD, CCI, CLWR, WEC, D, CMS, XEL, STR, EONGY, NEE, TKECF
