Business

Hillshire Farm launches a lower fat version of everyone’s favorite cocktail link, just in time for party season

Hillshire Farm launches a lower fat version of everyone’s favorite cocktail link, just in time for party season

Hillshire Farm launches a lower fat version of everyone’s favorite cocktail link, just in time for party season

Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG), the Dow component and the world's largest maker of consumer staples items, said it is still interested in acquisitions to fill voids in its consumer products portfolio.

Jon Moeller, P&G's CFO, told analysts the company would consider additions to its household brands, beauty products, or personal health care lines. We mentioned earlier this week that P&G might be interested in Sara Lee's (NYSE: SLE) air freshner business.

Moeller was clear to say that P&G would not pursue hostile bids.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Procter & Gamble Co PG does not see acquisitions as a core part of its growth plan and has started to buy back shares again, Chief Financial Officer Jon Moeller said on Friday."There seems to be continuous speculation ... about what P&G may buy or sell," Moeller...

Sara Lee (NYSE: SLE) hit a new 52-Week high of $12.31 so far today, helped by reports that the company may sell its air-freshner business to S.C. Johnson. Currently the stock i...(Click the story link or go to http://www.marketintelligencecenter.com for the full story)

U.S. stock-market futures edge lower as data show a sharp drop in U.S. housing starts in October and a 0.3% rise in consumer prices.

See the rest of the story here.

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Asia stocks, currencies gain after Australian jobs report; gold at record.Australian employers unexpectedly hire 24,500; currency jumps on rate bets.Brazil economy to grow 9 percent in 4th quarter as domestic demand surges, top official says.Brazil government defends reliability of power grid after blackout leaves 60M in dark.Dollar falls to 15-month low on bets Fed rate to stay near zero.Euro up to $1.500 in European morning trade, Asian equity gains slow.Fed officials say recovery will be slow as unemployment hampers spending.Global confidence drops as central banks begin to exit emergency stimulus.Gold hits record high of $1,121.90/oz, driven by speculation of dollar weakness.Oil hovers above $79 in Asia amid sluggish US crude[More...]

Asian stocks, currencies rise on Japan, China economic data; gold advances.China's industrial production output grew 16.1% in October, its fastest pace in more than a year.Job openings in U.S. remain close to record-lowsOil prices fell $79 a barrel in Asia amid rising U.S. oil inventories and a weaker dollarSwiss rules to tie bonuses to profit will apply only to the nation’s 12 largest banksUnfilled positions climb to most since June as US companies delay hiring.USDA trimmed its production forecast and raised its price outlook for crops.Adobe to cut about 680 full-time positions or about 9% of its total work force.AIG’s CEO Robert Benmosche, after just 3 months, is ready to quit over pay constraintsArvinMeritor[More...]

Here are the stocks added to the Zacks #1 Rank ("strong buy") List today:

• Aircastle Ltd (AYR)
• AMICAS Inc (AMCS)
• AstraZeneca Plc (AZN)
• Cantel Medical Corp (CMN)
• Coherent Inc (COHR)
• Dover Motorsports Inc (DVD)
• Euronet Worldwide Inc (EEFT)
• Gannett Co Inc (GCI)
• Herbalife Ltd (HLF)
• International Flavors & Fragrances Inc (IFF)
• Kadant Inc (KAI)
• Lincoln Educational Services Corp (LINC)
• Lionbridge Technologies Inc (LIOX)
• Nu Skin Enterprises Inc (NUS)
• OSI Systems Inc (OSIS)
• Penske Auto Group Inc (PAG)
• Pinnacle Airlines Corp (PNCL)
• Pioneer Southwest Energy Partners LP (PSE)
• Regal-Beloit Corp (RBC)
• Sara Lee Corp (SLE)
• Sonus Networks Inc (SONS)

View the entire Zacks #1 Rank List
"AYR" Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?
"AMCS" Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?
"AZN" Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?
"CMN" Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?
"COHR" Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?
"DVD" Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?
"EEFT" Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?
"GCI" Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?
"HLF" Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?
"IFF" Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?
"KAI" Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?
"LINC" Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?
"LIOX" Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?
"NUS" Free Stock Analysis: Buy? Sell? Hold?
Zacks Investment Research

Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (HGSI) reported third quarter net loss of $49 million or 32 cents per share, in-line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The company reported a net loss of $74.2 million or 50 cents in the year ago quarter. The lower net loss for the quarter was primarily attributable to increased revenues [...]

(HGSI) Human Genome Sciences Reports Lower Q3 Loss

Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (HGSI) reported third quarter net loss of $49 million or 32 cents per share, in-line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The company reported a net loss of $74.2 million or 50 cents in the year ago quarter. The lower net loss for the quarter was primarily attributable to increased revenues from manufacturing and development services and lower operating expenses.

Revenues for the quarter came in at $18.834 million which reflected an increase of 60.6%. Revenues were inclusive of $8.7 million from manufacturing and development services, $8.9 million recognized under the company’s agreement with Novartis (NVS) pertaining to hepatitis C drug Zalbin, and $1.0 million recognized under the agreement with GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK) pertaining to the potential blockbuster lupus drug Benlysta. Research & development spend declined 36% to $34.8 million in the quarter. Selling general & administrative expenses declined 6.3% to $14.7 million in the reported quarter.

The company exited the quarter with cash and investments totaling $697.2 million, of which $627.6 million was unrestricted and available for operations. This reflects a significant increase over the total cash and investments of $372.9 million at the end of 2008, of which $303.6 million was unrestricted and available for operations. The increase in the quarter was attributable to the successful public offering of common stock completed in August 2009. Net Proceeds of the offering came in at $356.5 million.

During the quarter, Human Genome received an order from the US government to sell an additional 45,000 doses of ABthrax for the Strategic National Stockpile, to be delivered over a three-year period, beginning later this year. The company expects to receive approximately $152 million from this contract. This order is in addition to the 20,000 doses that were delivered to the Stockpile earlier this year.

Human Genome is under contract to deliver doses of ABthrax to the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile, which stores huge quantities of medicine and medical supplies to be used in national emergencies like flu outbreak, terrorist attacks or earthquakes that are brutal enough to deplete local supplies.

Positive results from Benlysta
Human Genome received a huge boost recently when Benlysta, which is being developed with Glaxo, met its primary endpoint in BLISS-76, a pivotal phase III study, through 52 weeks. BLISS-76 is the second phase III trial in seropositive patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Positive results from the first trial, BLISS-52, were announced earlier this year.

The company intends to file a Biologics License Application (BLA) in the United States in the first half of 2010.We expect the US approval in early 2011.

Positive data from the Bliss-76 study brings the company a step closer to being the first to have a new lupus drug approved in 50 years. Lupus affects about 1.5 million people in the United States and 5 million worldwide.

Currently we are Neutral on Human Genome.
Read the full analyst report on "HGSI"
Read the full analyst report on "NVS"
Read the full analyst report on "GSK"
Zacks Investment Research

Companies featured in this segment: General Electric Company (NYSE:GE), General Mills Incorporated (NYSE:GIS), Kraft Foods Incorporated (NYSE:KFT), ConAgra Foods Incorporated (NYSE:CAG), Sara Lee Corporation (NYSE:SLE), Merck & Company Incorporated (NYSE:MRK), Jacobs Engineering Group (NYSE:JEC), FedEx Corporation (NYSE:FDX), Eni SpA (NYSE:E), United Technologies Corporation (NYSE:UTX), POSCO (NYSE:PKX), FuelCell Energy Incorporated (NASDAQ:FCEL), and RWE AG (OTC:RWEOY)

Schaeffer's Laura Houser takes a look at activity on the Street after the market close

Bookham, Inc. (Public, NASDAQ:BKHM) is now trading at $1.45 and Sara Lee Corp. (NYSE:SLE) shares are only $13.33 a piece.  Long story short, Sara Lee is a great play during this recession feared market and Bookham is worth a few bucks to take a chance on.

Sara Lee Corp. (NYSE:SLE) is being thrown under the bus and Wall Street has got it all wrong. Yes last quarter for them was not the best, missing estimates by two cents a share but they are on target for 2008 earnings of $0.82 to $0.88 a share.

Q2 sales growth continued a trend, advancing 9.7%, a modest improvement from 8.3% growth during the first quarter. Adjusted sales grew a less impressive 4.2%. "Adjusted" numbers for Sara Lee exclude the effects of acquisitions, divestitures, and foreign currency.

But Sara Lee's existing brands, like the namesake bakery products, Hillshire Farms, and Jimmy Dean are money in the bank and price hikes are on the way.

On Feb 6th the CEO Brenda Barnes said "it's pretty likely," that price increases on their products are coming during an interview with Reuters.  Sara Lee has already increased prices on many of its products in the wake of unprecedentedly sharp increases in commodity costs, and if they go up more America and everyone else (International Markets) will have to pay the price -- and they will.

SLE pays a 11 cent dividend every quarter, and their Financials are beautiful:

Financials

 (In millions of USD)

Last week Sara Lee Corp. (NYSE:SLE) said its strong international beverage and bakery sales helped the food maker post a $182 million second-quarter profit.  They predicted 2008 revenue of $13.4 billion, while analysts said they expect revenue of $13.22 billion.  Yet the shares have done nothing but fall:

The more this stock falls, the more I will buy, the end.

Bookham, Inc. (Public, NASDAQ:BKHM) reported a second quarter net loss last month of $5.18 million or $0.06 per share, narrower than $10.95 million or $0.13 per share in the prior year quarter.

Non-GAAP loss was $1.11 million or $0.01 per share for the current quarter, narrower than $8.01 million or $0.07 per share a year-ago.

On average, seven analysts polled by First Call/Thomson Financial expected the company to report a loss of $0.06 per share.

Quarterly revenues increased to $58.95 million from $54.28 million last year. Five Wall Street analysts expected revenues of $57.05 million.

Looking forward, for the third quarter, the company said it expects revenues in the range of $56 - $60 million. Six Street analysts expect revenues of $57.83 million.

Not that impressive but for a stock that now trades under the price of a bottle of Coke, I'll play the odds for a few bucks.

Bookham, Inc. designs, manufactures and markets optical components, modules and subsystems and sells them to telecommunications systems vendors, as well as to customers in the data communications, military, aerospace, industrial and manufacturing industries. 

Their customer base is not going to help in the short run to increase revenue that will help boost the stock price.  But a few months from now and later in the year when the market starts to recover, so will BKHM shares.

Happy Trading fellow Masters, there are two stocks I want you to watch in the coming weeks: SLE & BKHM

Article by Frank Lara Jr. Contributor at TheStockMasters.com and to the Master Picks Newsletter
Disclaimer: The Author does hold a long position in SLE and does not have a position in BKHM.

Two Veteran Wall Street Analysts Review the February 1, 2008 Edition of the Value Line Investment Survey

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