Wyndham Posts 4Q Results; Shares Up 25% Since It Registered a 9 on Our Valuentum Buying Index
February 8, 2012
<< About our Valuentum Buying Index (VBI) << Wyndham Worldwide Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2011 Earnings
Disney Posts Mixed Fiscal First-Quarter Results; Consumers Still Spending at Parks and Resorts
February 8, 2012
Disney’s fiscal first-quarter results, issued Tuesday, were mixed. Revenues missed expectations, advancing modestly from the same period last year, while diluted earnings per share grew 18% to $0.80, beating consensus forecasts of $0.75 per share. The top-line growth and operating-income expansion in the period was led by its Media Networks and Parks and Resorts segments. Revenue in its Studio Entertainment segment fell 16%, though operating income in the division still advanced 10% despite having fewer Disney branded titles in wide theatrical release during the quarter. Consumer Products revenue jumped 3%, and segment operating income held essentially flat. The company noted particular strength at ESPN, generally lower political advertising revenues, and increased guest spending (higher ticket prices and food and beverage
Best Ideas Alert: Buffalo Wild Wings (BWLD) Surging 15%+ in After-Hours Trading
February 7, 2012
<< Quick Take, AP << Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc. Announces Fourth Quarter Earnings per Share of $0.73 and Annual Net Earnings Growth of Over 31% for 2011
Best Ideas Alert: Collective Brands (PSS) To Narrow Potential Suitors to 10; Bidding Likely to Start at $20 Per Share
February 7, 2012
From Bloomberg: “The company (Collective Brands) began yesterday notifying the 20 bidders from the first round whether they would move on to the next, which will comprise about 10 parties, said the people, who declined to be identified as talks are private. Based on bids so far, Collective Brands could get at least $20 a share if the entire business is sold, said one of the people. That would value the Topeka, Kansas-based retailer at about $1.2 billion. Collective Brands got initial offers from buyout firms TPG Capital and Leonard Green & Partners LP, as well as from rivals such as Wolverine World Wide Inc., Columbia Sportswear Co. (COLM) and Deckers Outdoor Corp. (DECK), the people said. The retailer is keeping
Coca-Cola Posts Fourth-Quarter Results; Focus Remains on Controlling Costs
February 7, 2012
On Tuesday, Coca-Cola (KO) reported solid fourth-quarter results that showed strength across all of its major geographic operating groups. We will be revisiting our valuation model for the concentrate maker, but we don’t expect to make a material change to our $65 fair value estimate. Fourth-quarter net revenues jumped 5% (6% excluding currency), as global volume advanced 3% in the quarter driven by solid international volume expansion of 4% (North America volume grew 1%). Coca-Cola noted that it grew value share in NARTD (non-alcoholic ready-to-drink) beverages across most of its beverage categories. Brand Coca-Cola’s volume increased 3%, with expansion coming from around the world – 33% growth in Thailand, 15% growth in India, 13% growth in China, etc. Worldwide still
Yum! Brands’ Fourth-Quarter Results Show Chinese Demand Remains Strong; Shares Still Expensive
February 7, 2012
Yum! Brands’ (YUM) fourth-quarter results, issued after the close Monday, revealed strong performance, particularly in China. Though the firm will likely get a bid tomorrow, we believe the shares to be a bit rich and remain on the sidelines. Our fair value estimate for the world’s largest restaurant company is unchanged. Worldwide system sales grew 11% in the fourth quarter thanks to 33% growth in China. Same-store sales grew an impressive 21% in China during the fourth quarter and managed to stay positive in the US during the period. We think such performance speaks clearly about the strength of the Chinese economy/consumer, and the positive US same-store-sales growth represents an improvement over the full-year measure (and anniversaries a very strong
Best Idea Astronics Up Nearly 8% Today on Strong Fourth-Quarter Results
February 6, 2012
Best idea Astronics (ATRO) reported strong fourth-quarter results Monday and offered an outlook for 2012 that pleased most investors. The stock is surging roughly 8% today, and we continue to believe the company belongs in the portfolio of our Best Ideas Newsletter. We were impressed with Astronics’ performance pretty much across the board. Fourth-quarter revenue jumped 18% led by a 24.5% increase in aerospace sales, while gross profit surged nearly 40% on the heels of 4.4 percentage points of gross-margin expansion. Astronics continues to reap the benefits of higher demand for both aircraft cabin electronics products and aircraft lighting products. The company’s operating margin was roughly flat in the period, but after excluding a goodwill impairment loss related to
Dividend Growth Portfolio Holding Hasbro Raises Dividend 20%; Now Boasts 4%+ Yield
February 6, 2012
Dividend-growth portfolio holding Hasbro (HAS) reported mixed fourth-quarter results Monday and increased its dividend a whopping 20%, even more than we had anticipated. Though we had expected a nice dividend increase for 2012, we’ll be updating our dividend report on the company shortly. The firm reported a 4% increase in revenue in the fourth quarter from the same period a year ago thanks to strong international growth (up 8%), offset by lower-than-expected growth in its US and Canada segment (down 2%). The top-line was weighed down by challenges in its Games & Puzzles and Girls categories, which fell 11% and 16%, respectively. However, we think management has taken the appropriate steps post-Thanksgiving to re-accelerate growth in these segments via
Huntsman Has Increased Nearly 35% Since We Highlighted the Firm as Significantly Undervalued in Early December
February 6, 2012
Ford Rallying Nearly 5% Today; We Continue to Like the Automaker
February 3, 2012
To view our fundamental and long-term thesis on the automaker, please peruse the research and analysis found in the ‘Related Articles’ section below.
