Briefing.com: Hourly In Play (R) – 04:00 ET

Mar 04, 2010 (Briefing.com via COMTEX) -- Hourly In Play (R)

Updated: 04-Mar-10 04:00 ET

03:22

NAFC Nash Finch misses by $0.11, reports revs in-line (36.34 )

Reports Q4 (Dec) earnings of $0.63 per share, excluding non-recurring items, $0.11 worse than the First Call consensus of $0.74; revenues rose 2.9% year/year to $1.22 bln vs the $1.22 bln consensus.

03:17

VMI Valmont announces offer for Delta, PLC (73.44 )

Co announces that the boards of directors of Valmont and Delta, PLC (LSE: DLTA) have agreed to the terms of a recommended cash offer for all of the outstanding ordinary shares of Delta. Delta, which reported 2008 revenues of approx $500 mln, provides hot-dip galvanizing services, is a manufacturer of support structures for the lighting, wireless and utility industry, industrial access systems, and road safety systems. The offer price is pounds Sterling 1.85 per ordinary share, representing a transaction value of approx $430 mln at current exchange rates. Valmont will finance the transaction with cash and debt. Valmont expects to close the transaction in the second quarter. Acquisition is expected to be accretive to earnings in VMI's FY11.

03:14

ARII American Railcar Industries beats by $0.01, beats on revs (9.93 )

Reports Q4 (Dec) loss of $0.04 per share, excluding non-recurring items, $0.01 better than the First Call consensus of ($0.05); revenues fell 61.4% year/year to $78.5 mln vs the $77.1 mln consensus. Revenues were lower in 4Q09 compared to the same period of 2008, primarily due to a decrease in the number of railcars shipped and a decrease in surcharges reflected in selling prices, partially offset by a change in product mix and an increase in revenues from the railcar services segment. During the three months ended December 31, 2009, ARII shipped approx 610 railcars compared to approx 1,870 railcars in the same period of 2008.

03:10

CCIX Coleman Cable beats by $0.04, reports revs in-line; guides Q1 EPS in-line, revs in-line (4.22 )

Reports Q4 (Dec) earnings of $0.09 per share, excluding non-recurring items, $0.04 better than the First Call consensus of $0.05; revenues fell 23.1% year/year to $140.1 mln vs the $140.3 mln consensus. Co issues in-line guidance for Q1, sees EPS of 0.05-0.11, excluding non-recurring items, vs. $0.06 consensus; sees Q1 revs of $140.0-150.0 mln vs. $150.65 mln consensus.

03:05

DPM DCP Midstream beats by $0.09, beats on revs (31.08 )

Reports Q4 (Dec) earnings of $0.56 per share, excluding non-recurring items, $0.09 better than the First Call consensus of $0.47; revenues rose 49.3% year/year to $330.6 mln vs the $260.4 mln consensus.

02:59

AUY Yamana Gold misses by $0.01, misses on revs (11.14 )

Reports Q4 (Dec) earnings of $0.14 per share, excluding non-recurring items, $0.01 worse than the First Call consensus of $0.15; revenues rose 250.4% year/year to $399.8 mln vs the $423.7 mln consensus. Co announces total production from continuing operations of 289,456 gold equivalent ounces. Production from continuing operations in FY10 is expected to be in the range of 1,030,000 to 1,145,000 million gold equiv. ounces and 1,045,000 to 1,150,000 GEO in 2011 representing an overall increase of up to 12% from 2009. Growth is expected to ramp up substantially in 2012 to approx 1.3 mln gold equiv. ounces as four development stage projects including C1 Santa Luz, Mercedes, Minera Florida tailing project and Ernesto/Pau-a-pique, where construction decisions have already been made, are expected to begin production. By 2013, production is expected to reach the level of 1.5 million gold equiv. ounces, which represents a 46% increase in production from 2009.

01:49

GGWPQ Gen Growth Prop granted extension of exclusivity period to file a plan of reorganization (13.49 )

Co announces the Bankruptcy Court has approved an extension of the exclusivity period during which GGP has the right to file a plan of reorganization through July 15, 2010, and an extension of the period to solicit acceptances of a plan of reorganization through September 15, 2010.

01:47

NGS Natural Gas Services misses by $0.03, reports revs in-line (16.48 )

Reports Q4 (Dec) earnings of $0.14 per share, $0.03 worse than the First Call consensus of $0.17; revenues fell 33.6% year/year to $14.6 mln vs the $14.6 mln consensus. Overall gross margin percentage increased to 52.6% for the twelve months ended December 31, 2009, from 47.3% for the same period ended December 31, 2008.

01:35

On The Wires

Cell Therapeutics (CTIC) announces that the co received a statement on March 1, 2010 from the Gynecologic Oncology Group leadership that the phase III GOG-212 clinical trial of CTI's OPAXIO used as maintenance therapy for ovarian cancer remains a high priority and enrollment will continue... Time Warner (TWX) announces that it has priced a $1.4 billion underwritten public offering of 4.875% senior notes due 2020 at a price equal to 99.670% of their face amount and a $600 million underwritten public offering of 6.200% debentures due 2040 at a price equal to 99.999% of their face amount.

01:24

ABV AmBev reports 4Q09 results (100.52 )

Reports 4Q09 net sales increased 6.49% year/year to R$6.78 bln (no consensus estimates available). Normalized EPS was R$2.91 vs. R$2.85 in 4Q08 (no consensus estimates available). Normalized EBITDA reached R$3,021.3 mln in Q409, an organic growth of +9.1%, while margin contracted 200bps in the period to 44.6%, mainly due to higher accruals for variable compensation. Excluding these effects, normalized EBITDA would have grown by 13% and margins would have dropped by 40 bps.

18:32

KNDL Kendle receives approval from Indian Government to proceed with development of operations center in special economic zone (17.75 +0.45)

KNDL announced the co has received approval from Indian authorities to proceed with development of a new operations center in a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in the upcoming Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar Knowledge Corridor. The new SEZ center represents an important and strategic investment for Kendle and demonstrates the Co's commitment to further invest in Asia/Pacific to meet customer needs. The new unit is expected to be operational by mid April.

18:31

GERN Geron highlights product launch from collaboration with Corning - the Synthemax surface for scalable growth of human embryonic stem cells (5.83 +0.01)

Co announced that Corning Incorporated (GLW) has launched the Synthemax surface, a new synthetic matrix for growing human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), developed under a collaboration and license agreement between the two companies. Geron and Corning have been working together to develop synthetic surface matrices to enhance the scalability of hESC-derived product manufacturing. The Corning Synthemax surface is the first such product to be commercialized.

18:25

Futures are mixed after hours with S&P 500 futures 0.88 points above fair value of 1117.92 and Nasdaq 100 futures 0.74 points below fair value of 1851.49

18:07

SNY Sanofi-Aventis: Cabazitaxel increased survival for patients with advanced hormone-rRefractory prostate cancer (37.64 +0.37) -Update-

SNY announced results from a Phase 3 trial which demonstrated cabazitaxel, an investigational compound, plus prednisone/prednisolone significantly improved overall survival and progression-free survival in patients with metastatic (advanced) hormone-refractory prostate cancer whose disease progressed following treatment with docetaxel-based chemotherapy. The TROPIC trial compared the combination of cabazitaxel plus prednisone/prednisolone to the active agent mitoxantrone plus prednisone/prednisolone. For many patients with metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer, their disease continues to progress despite prior chemotherapy. Currently, there are no approved therapies to treat these patients.

18:07

FTEK Fuel-Tech beats by $0.06, beats on revs (7.36 -0.05)

Reports Q4 (Dec) earnings of $0.01 per share, $0.06 better than the First Call consensus of ($0.05); revenues rose 3.3% year/year to $18.7 mln vs the $14.9 mln consensus. Co said, "Despite the recession, we are encouraged that our annual FUEL CHEM segment revenues equaled the record level reported for 2008. In the domestic APC sector, we continue to see utilities employ significantly less capital on NOx controls on their operating coal plants as they await the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) revisions to CAIR, expected in the first half of this year. In China, we are very encouraged by the recent publication of their NOx control Policy by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, which sets forth the framework for NOx regulations which will be forthcoming as part of their Twelfth Five-Year Plan that will go into effect on January 1, 2011.

18:05

DNDN Dendreon pops 3.2% to $34.70 on 18:03 news (33.62 +0.36) -Update-

18:03

DNDN Dendreon presents updated IMPACT results confirming PROVENGE improves overall survival in patients with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (33.62 +0.36)

Co announced updated results from its pivotal Phase 3 IMPACT (IMmunotherapy for Prostate AdenoCarcinoma Treatment) study demonstrating that PROVENGE (sipuleucel-T) extends overall survival in men with metastatic, castrate-resistant (hormone-refractory) prostate cancer (CRPC). The data will be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2010 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium (ASCO-GU) in San Francisco on Friday, March 5 at 1:45 pm PT. A sensitivity analysis performed with longer-term follow-up (36.5 months) and additional events (349 deaths) collected at the time of study closure demonstrated that PROVENGE increased three-year survival by 40 percent compared to placebo (32.1 percent vs 23.0 percent), the median survival difference of PROVENGE compared to placebo was maintained at 4.1 months, with a 24.1 percent reduction in the risk of death [HR=0.759] and a p-value of 0.017.

18:02

CCRN Cross Country beats by $0.02, reports revs in-line; guides Q1 EPS in-line, revs below consensus (9.85 -0.15)

Reports Q4 (Dec) earnings of $0.05 per share, excluding non-recurring items, $0.02 better than the First Call consensus of $0.03; revenues fell 39.7% year/year to $124.1 mln vs the $123.1 mln consensus. Co issues mixed guidance for Q1, sees EPS of $0.01-0.03 vs. $0.02 consensus; sees Q1 revs of $120-122 mln vs. $125.51 mln consensus. Co said, "Historically, the co's gross profit margin declines sequentially from Q4 to Q1 due to the reset of payroll taxes, as well as two less days in Q1 of the year. This combination typically results in a sequential decrease in earnings of ~$0.03 per diluted share in Q1."

17:58

MIDD Middleby beats by $0.10, reports revs in-line (48.70 )

Reports Q4 (Dec) earnings of $0.95 per share, $0.10 better than the First Call consensus of $0.85; revenues rose 1.0% year/year to $152.5 mln vs the $152 mln consensus. Co said, "Although sales to our customers continued to be affected during this difficult economic environment, the rate of decline lessened in the fourth quarter and our food processing business realized growth as several orders which had been deferred during 2009 were finally released by our customers. Although the business environment may continue to be challenging in 2010, we anticipate that order rates in the commercial foodservice industry will stabilize in comparison to 2009 and have begun to see initial signs of recovery in our food processing segment."

17:44

KRO Kronos Worldwide announces a price increase for all titanium dioxide products sold in North America (15.50 +0.04)

Co announced a price increase for all titanium dioxide grades sold in North America. Effective April 1, 2010, as contracts permit, prices for all KRO titanium dioxide products sold in North America will be increased by US$ 0.05 per pound.

17:37

SINA Sina misses by $0.05, beats on revs; guides Q1 (Mar) revs in-line (37.49 -0.64)

Reports Q4 (Dec) earnings of $0.31 per share, $0.05 worse than the First Call consensus of $0.36. Co issues in-line guidance for Q1 (Mar), sees Q1 (Mar) revs of 78-80 vs. $88.98 mln consensus.

17:36

LHCG LHC Group beats by $0.14, beats on revs; guides FY10 EPS above consensus, revs above consensus (28.94 -0.81)

Reports Q4 (Dec) earnings of $0.65 per share, excluding $0.50 gain, $0.14 better than the First Call consensus of $0.51; revenues rose 27.0% year/year to $141.5 mln vs the $134.3 mln consensus. Co issues upside guidance for FY10, sees EPS of $2.60-2.70 vs. $2.44 consensus; sees FY10 revs of $610-620 mln vs. $585.90 mln consensus.

17:22

HEP Holly Energy Partners, L.P. announces proposed offering of senior notes (42.11 +0.10)

Co announced that it and its wholly owned subsidiary, Holly Energy Finance., intend to commence an offering of $150 mln in aggregate principal amount of senior notes due 2018. The Partnership intends to use ~$93.0 mln of the net proceeds from the offering to acquire petroleum storage tanks with 2 mln barrels of capacity and certain rail loading rack facilities at Holly Corp's Tulsa refinery and an asphalt truck loading rack and terminal building at Holly Corp's Lovington, New Mexico refinery from Holly Corporation. The remaining proceeds will be used to repay indebtedness under its revolving credit agreement and for general partnership purposes. If the acquisition does not close, the Partnership will use the portion of the net proceeds that would have otherwise been used for the acquisition to repay additional indebtedness under its revolving credit facility and/or for general partnership purposes, including working capital, capital expenditures and possible future acquisitions.

17:21

INDXCH Standard & Poorâ??s Announces Changes to U.S. Indices (21.60 +0.26)

Transatlantic Holdings Inc. (TRH) will replace Encore Acquisition Co. (EAC) in the S&P MidCap 400 index after the close of trading on Tuesday, March 9. S&P 500 constituent Denbury Resources Inc. (DNR) is acquiring Encore Acquisition in a deal expected to be completed on or about that date, pending final approvals. S&P MidCap 400 constituent ONEOK Inc. (OKE) will replace The Black & Decker Corp. (BDK) in the S&P 500 index, S&P SmallCap 600 constituent Greenhill & Co. Inc. (GHL) will replace ONEOK in the S&P MidCap 400, and Powell Industries Inc. (POWL) will replace Greenhill & Co. in the S&P SmallCap 600 index after the close of trading on Friday, March 12. Black & Decker is being acquired by S&P 500 constituent The Stanley Works (SWK) in a deal expected to be completed on or about that date, pending final approvals.

17:16

PCX Patriot Coal's federal mine resumes operation (19.74 -0.28)

Co reported that its Federal No. 2 mine near Fairview, West Virginia has resumed operation. The Company's enhanced ventilation plan has been implemented following approval from the U.S. Department of Labor, Mine Safety & Health Administration. Production at the mine was suspended on February 18.

17:12

III Information Services Group reports Q4 adjusted EPS of $0.06 vs. $0.08 in the prior eyar's quarter; revs fell 8% to $34.5 mln (3.40 -0.06)

17:04

IBNK Integra Bank and First Security Bank announce agreement for purchase of branches and loans from Integra (0.59 -0.01)

Co announced that First Security Bank of Owensboro, the wholly-owned subsidiary of First Security, has agreed to purchase eight banking offices of Integra's wholly-owned bank subsidiary, Integra Bank. The banking offices include five located in Bowling Green and Franklin, Kentucky and single offices located in Paoli, Mitchell and Bedford, Indiana. In addition, First Security has agreed to acquire a pool of indirect consumer, commercial, and commercial real estate loans from Integra. First Security will assume approximately $188.2 mln of deposit liabilities related to the eight branches and acquire $74.8 mln of branch related loans, as well as $38.4 mln of additional commercial real estate, $2.0 mln of other commercial and $56.9 mln of indirect consumer loans selected by First Security originated from other Integra offices. The Kentucky branches include approximately $122.4 mln of deposits, while the Indiana branches include approximately $65.8 mln of deposits.

17:02

PPD Pre-Paid Legal founder and current CEO, President and Chairman, Harland Stonecipher, will relinquish title of CEO and President (41.66 -0.03)

Co announced that effective April 2, 2010, its founder and current Chief Executive Officer, President and Chairman of the Board, Harland C. Stonecipher, will relinquish the title and responsibilities of Chief Executive Officer and President. At the suggestion of Stonecipher, the Board of Directors unanimously approved that the title and responsibilities of Chief Executive Officer will be shared equally by two co-CEOs - Randy Harp, Pre-Paid's current Chief Operating Officer, and Mark Brown, -Paid's current Chief Marketing Officer. The Board also named Harp as Pre-Paid's President.

17:01

ACY Aerocentury reports Q4 revs of $8.6 mln vs. $8.1 mln a year ago; reports Q4 EPS of $1.20 vs. ($0.10) a year ago (15.11 +0.25)

17:00

USMO USA Mobility extends share repurchase program resetting the amount available for purchase under the plan from $20.3 mln to $25 mln. (12.04 +0.35)

16:48

FL Foot Locker misses by $0.01, beats on revs (13.01 -0.20)

Reports Q4 (Jan) earnings of $0.24 per share, ex-items, $0.01 worse than the First Call consensus of $0.25; revenues rose 0.6% year/year to $1.32 bln vs the $1.31 bln consensus. Co states, "We experienced an improving sales trend in both our U.S. and international operations as we progressed through the fourth quarter, including a comparable-store sales increase for the month of January that has continued through the month of February..."

16:39

RIVR River Valley Bancorp announces agreement on branch purchase (13.05 -0.35)

Co announced that the it has signed an agreement with The New Washington State Bank under which the Bank will acquire the deposit relationships, real estate, and fixed assets of New Washington's branch office in New Albany, Indiana. The Bank will pay $575,000 for the real estate, fixed assets and cash on hand of the branch at closing and assume deposits of the branch customers at closing. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the third quarter of 2010.

16:38

SHS Sauer Danfoss reports Q4 reports ($0.63), ex $0.92 in charges, vs. $(0.10) in the prior year's quarter, excl $1.45 in charges; revs grew 25% to $278.9 mln (11.93 -0.17)

Co sees FY10 revs growth of 10-20%, which equates to $1.27-1.39 bln; sees loss of ($0.70)-(0.00), excluding $0.50-0.80 in charges.

16:36

TSFG South Fincl Group announced that it named Christopher Gompper as the interim president of banking operations for its Carolina First markets. (0.63 +0.03)

16:32

DAR Darling Intl misses by $0.06, misses on revs (8.30 -0.11)

Reports Q4 (Dec) earnings of $0.11 per share, $0.06 worse than the First Call consensus of $0.17; revenues rose 0.7% year/year to $149.6 mln vs the $163.2 mln consensus. "We are very pleased with our results for fiscal 2009. Earnings stabilized after a volatile fourth quarter of fiscal 2008. Our raw material volume declined significantly in fiscal 2009 compared to fiscal 2008 driven by lower cattle, hog and poultry slaughters as well as restaurant volume declines in the food service industry. The company addressed these challenges by taking effective cost cutting measures to offset the lower raw material volume and benefited from a significant

16:31

AEL American Equity reaches agreement with SEC resolving disclosure inquiry (9.30 -0.08)

Co said it, its Executive Chairman, and its CEO reached civil settlements with the Securities and Exchange Commission that end a previously disclosed inquiry into historical disclosures in a Company proxy statement. "This settlement concludes the SEC's review of this matter," said Robert L. Howe, American Equity's lead independent board member. "The inquiry concerned issues that occurred more than four years ago. We are pleased that this resolution puts this matter behind us. The co is focused on its ongoing success and we look forward to continuing to serve our investors, independent agents, policy holders and employees." The SEC complaint made no allegations of fraud or financial statement inaccuracies on the part of American Equity, its Executive Chairman or its CEO.

16:31

ASI American Safety Insurance Holdings Board of Directors authorizes stock repurchase program of up to 500,000 shares (14.13 )

16:30

GTEC Global Defense Technology & Systems secures $10.4 mln C4I contract for continued support of U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (11.74 -0.96)

16:29

CMTL Comtech Telecom: Color on FY10 Guidance (32.93 +0.36) -Update-

CMTL says during Q2 of FY10, the co's third-party supplier of new MTS ruggedized computers and certain related accessories continued to experience production and technical issues. These issues, which are ongoing, resulted in shipping and related deployment delays to the U.S. Army, which impacted the co's Q2 results. Based on the third-party supplier's revised delivery schedule provided to CMTL yesterday, the co expects that ~$90.0-100.0 mln of orders in its backlog previously expected to ship in fiscal 2010 will now ship in FY11. Therefore, the co sees downside FY10 EPS guidance of $1.85-1.95 vs $2.26 First Call consensus and sees revs ~$740-760 mln vs $839.52 mln First Call consensus.

16:21

CMTL Comtech Telecom beats by $0.04, misses on revs (32.93 +0.36)

Reports Q2 (Jan) earnings of $0.51 per share, $0.04 better than the First Call consensus of $0.47; revenues rose 18.9% year/year to $171.1 mln vs the $184.6 mln consensus. "Although weak economic and challenging business conditions continue to prevail and our third-party supplier of new MTS ruggedized computers is no longer able to meet our previous delivery timetable, we continue to believe that fiscal 2010 will be another year of record consolidated net sales and that our operating income in fiscal 2010 will be significantly higher than it was in fiscal 2009. The global economic environment is slowly improving and we are expecting our bookings in the second half of fiscal 2010 to increase as compared to the first half of fiscal 2010."

16:20

ALTR Altera raises bottom end of Q1 revs guidance, in-line with consensus (24.64 -0.16)

Co raises bottom end of Q1 revs guidance to 7-10% of sequential growth, up from prior 5-10% of sequential growth, which equates to ~$390.6-401.5 mln vs. $393.9 mln consensus, up from $383.3-401.5 mln prior guidance. The co expects solid growth from new products in Q1. All four vertical market segments are likely to report sequential improvements. Growth continues in the telecom and wireless market segment as communications equipment manufacturers respond to ongoing Asian demand.

16:19

AMR American Eagle Airlines reports February traffic; traffic increased 1.0% year over year as capacity decreased 1.3% (9.30 +0.13) -Update-

American Eagle reports that February traffic increased 1.0% year over year as capacity decreased 1.3%. February load factor was 66.7%, an increase of 1.5 points compared to the same period last year.

16:18

CBEY Cbeyond Comms beats by $0.03, misses on revs; guides FY10 revs below consensus (12.46 -0.40)

Reports Q4 (Dec) earnings of $0.02 per share, $0.03 better than the First Call consensus of ($0.01); revenues rose 14.8% year/year to $107.7 mln vs the $109.3 mln consensus. CBEY gross margin was 66.8% in the fourth quarter of 2009 as compared with 66.0% in the third quarter of 2009 and 67.6% in the fourth quarter of 2008. ARPU, or average monthly revenue per customer location, was $727 in the fourth quarter of 2009, compared to $754 in the fourth quarter of 2008 and $744 in the third quarter of 2009. Monthly customer churn of 1.5% in the fourth quarter of 2009 as compared to 1.4% in the third quarter of 2009 Co issues downside guidance for FY10, sees FY10 rev growth of 10-13% (approx $455-467 mln) vs. $483.32 mln consensus. Adjusted EBITDA growth of 15%-20%. Capital expenditures growth of 2%-7%.

16:18

ALTR raises bottom end of Q1 revs guidance to 7-10%, up from prior 5-10% sequential growth , which equates to ~$390.6-401.5 mln vs. $393.9 mln consensus, up from $383.3-401.5 mln prior guidance

16:16

ALTR raises bottom end of Q1 revs guidance to 7-10%, up from prior 5-10% sequential growth

16:16

AMR American Airlines reports February traffic; reports that load factor increased 1.5 pts versus last year traffic (9.30 +0.13)

Co announces a February load factor of 75.5%, an increase of 1.5 points versus the same period last year. Traffic decreased 2.2% and capacity decreased 4.2% year over year. Domestic traffic decreased 3.9% year over year on 3.2% less capacity. International traffic increased by 0.8% relative to last year on a capacity decrease of 5.7%.

16:15

ALTR raises lower end of revs guidance range for Q1

16:15

MXGL Max Capital Group and Harbor Point agree to merger of equals (24.27 +0.35) -Update-

The co and Harbor Point announce that the boards of directors of both Max and Harbor Point have unanimously approved a definitive amalgamation agreement for a merger of equals. The combined company will be renamed and rebranded as Alterra Capital Holdings Limited and after the consummation of the merger will trade on the NASDAQ Global Select market under the symbol ALTE. Under the terms of the definitive amalgamation agreement, holders of Harbor Point common stock will each receive a fixed exchange ratio of 3.7769 Max common shares for each Harbor Point share. In addition, both Max and Harbor Point intend for the board of directors of the combined company to declare a special cash dividend of $2.50 per share following closing to all shareholders of the combined company (approximately $300 million in total). Following the merger, Harbor Point shareholders will own approximately 52% of the combined company on a fully diluted basis, with Max shareholders owning approximately 48%. Completion of the transaction is contingent upon customary closing conditions, including the approvals of shareholders and regulatory approvals and notices, and is expected to close in the second quarter of 2010.

16:14

SNTS Santarus reports Q4 results; issues FY10 revenue guidance (4.40 -0.04)

Santarus reports Q4 earnings of $0.40 vs $0.21 First Call consensus; revs increased 66% year/year to $62.4 mln vs $51.02 mln First Call consensus. Co issues guidance for FY10, sees total revenues of $170 mln to $175 mln vs $163.5 mln First Call consensus. Co also expects net income of $11 mln to $13 mln for the full year, which may include a net loss in the first quarter due to seasonality of prescription demand and timing of research and development expenses, vs $12.81 mln First Call consensus

16:13

JVA Coffee Holding switches to the NASDAQ stock market effective as of the close of trading on March 15, 2010 (4.15 +0.09)

16:12

MMUS MakeMusic's monthly SmartMusic subscription report for February 2010 (5.80 0.00) -Update-

Co announced subscriptions as of February month-end numbered 137,153, representing a net gain 1,626 from the previous month and a 25% increase over the prior year.

16:12

WTFC Wintrust Fin commences underwritten public offering of 4,500,000 shares of common stock (33.93 -0.30)

16:11

MRT Mortons Restaurant Group beats by $0.01, misses on revs; guides Q1 EPS above consensus, revs in-line; guides FY10 EPS above consensus, revs above consensus (4.36 +0.10)

Reports Q4 (Dec) earnings of $0.25 per share, excluding non-recurring items, $0.01 better than the First Call consensus of $0.24; revenues fell 9.4% year/year to $79.2 mln vs the $81.1 mln consensus. Co issues upside EPS guidance for Q1, sees EPS of $0.06-0.09, excluding non-recurring items, vs. $0.04 consensus; sees Q1 revs of $72-74 mln vs. $72.49 mln consensus. Co issues upside guidance for FY10, sees EPS of $0.25-0.30, excluding non-recurring items, vs. $0.22 consensus; sees FY10 revs of $291-296 mln vs. $284.80 mln consensus.

16:10

CWTR Coldwater Creek misses by $0.02, beats on revs; guides Q1 EPS in-line; guides FY11 EPS above consensus (5.41 +0.01)

Reports Q4 (Jan) loss of $0.11 per share, $0.02 worse than the First Call consensus of ($0.09); revenues rose 12.4% year/year to $318.4 mln vs the $312 mln consensus. Co issues in-line guidance for Q1, sees EPS greater than the ($0.08) posted in prior year vs. ($0.03) consensus. Co issues upside guidance for FY11, sees EPS of $0.08-0.12 vs. $0.00 consensus.

16:09

ATSG Air Transport services group delivers dry-leased 767 freighter to Amerijet (2.65 -0.03)

Co announced that its leasing subsidiary, Cargo Aircraft Management, has delivered the first of two efficient, Boeing 767 wide body freighters to Amerijet International.

16:08

SALM Salem Comms reports Q4 EPS of ($0.07) vs. ($1.29); revs of $50.8 mln vs. $55.2 mln a year ago (5.48 +0.18)

For the first quarter of 2010, Salem is projecting total revenue to decrease 1% to 3% over first quarter 2009 total revenue of $48.7 million. Salem is also projecting operating expenses before gain or loss on disposal of assets, terminated transaction costs and abandoned license upgrades and impairments to increase 1% to 4% as compared to the first quarter of 2009 operating expenses of $39.7 million.

16:07

DIVX DivX beats by $0.05, beats on revs; guides Q1 EPS above consensus, revs above consensus (6.01 -0.11)

Reports Q4 (Dec) earnings of $0.07 per share, excluding non-recurring items, $0.05 better than the First Call consensus of $0.02; revenues fell 13.4% year/year to $20.1 mln vs the $18.1 mln consensus. Co issues upside guidance for Q1, sees EPS of $0.04-0.06, excluding non-recurring items, vs. $0.03 consensus; sees Q1 revs of $20.5-21.5 mln vs. $19.32 mln consensus. "Key areas of strength included technology licensing and online software distribution. Looking forward, we continue to see solid opportunities to grow and diversify our core technology licensing business. In addition, with our DivX TV initiative, we are positioned to enable a new streaming distribution model that will transform the consumer experience and deliver on the promise of digital entertainment for consumers, content providers and consumer electronics manufacturers alike."

16:07

SUNH Sun Healthcare beats by $0.02, reports revs in-line; reaffirms FY10 guidance (8.97 -0.03)

Reports Q4 (Dec) earnings of $0.28 per share, $0.02 better than the First Call consensus of $0.26; revenues rose 1.6% year/year to $474.1 mln vs the $471 mln consensus. SUNH is reaffirming its 2010 guidance issued earlier this year on Jan. 6, 2010. "The story of the quarter is the story of the year. Successful execution of our high acuity strategy drove rate growth, resulting in revenue growth for both the quarter and the year of 1.6 percent and 3.2 percent, respectively, accompanied by strong expense controls, our infrastructure cost reductions, and a favorable labor market. This revenue growth somewhat mitigated the continued softness we have experienced in occupancy and payor mix. I would note that we have managed to achieve consecutive revenue growth in all four quarters of 2009. I have always said that I have great faith in our management team's ability to execute, as illustrated by a 30 basis point expansion of normalized adjusted EBITDA for the quarter and a 50 basis-point expansion for the year. In an environment that has clearly tested us, our earnings growth of 7.7 percent for the quarter and 18.3 percent for the year was quite respectable. Our ability to convert our operating results into free cash flow continues to be a company strength. Our free cash flow for 2009 was a robust $54.6 million."

16:07

FARM Farmer Brothers announced the appointment of Jeffrey A. Wahba as treasurer and CFO effective June 1 (18.89 -0.15)

16:06

TTWO Take-Two beats by $0.20, beats on revs; guides Q2 EPS above consensus, revs in-line; guides FY10 EPS in-line, revs in-line (9.01 -0.27)

Reports Q1 (Jan) loss of $0.31 per share, excluding non-recurring items, $0.20 better than the First Call consensus of ($0.51); revenues rose 9.3% year/year to $163.2 mln vs the $125.3 mln consensus. Co issues upside EPS guidance for Q2, sees EPS of $0.20-0.30, excluding non-recurring items, vs. $0.07 consensus; sees Q2 revs of $250-300 vs. $267.42 mln consensus. Co issues in-line guidance for FY10, sees EPS of $(0.60)-(0.40), excluding non-recurring items, vs. ($0.56) consensus; sees FY10 revs of $725-925 mln vs. $843.92 mln consensus. Co said, "Our first quarter performance was driven by the market dominance of NBA 2K10, successful launch of Borderlands, growth of our digital business and continued strength of our catalog titles. We are building upon this success with the global launch of BioShock 2, and have a strong line up of triple-A titles from our diverse portfolio of proven brands planned for release this fiscal year. TTWO has been strengthened through our cost savings initiatives and the sale of Jack of All Games, which allows us to focus our resources solely on our core business. We will continue to evaluate our cost structure for additional savings, and work to maximize the value of our intellectual property by selectively engaging in strategic opportunities in emerging markets and new platforms."

16:06

SIGM Sigma Designs beats by $0.27, beats on revs (12.17 -0.49)

Reports Q4 (Jan) earnings of $0.37 per share, $0.27 better than the First Call consensus of $0.10; revenues rose 44.0% year/year to $68.1 mln vs the $52.7 mln consensus. "We are pleased to report a substantial increase in revenue for the fourth quarter, nearly doubling that of our third quarter, and reflecting the underlying strength of the markets we serve. Our IPTV market sales were up sharply and we believe that the market is moving into a new growth phase evidenced by the many telco accounts that achieved their highest ever net subscriber additions in the fourth quarter. Our connected media player sales were also up, reflecting increased sell-through rates for consumer products such as network players that enable Internet access for playback of over-the-top content. Finally, our connected home market sales increased significantly as a result of added revenues from the recently acquired CopperGate operation, whose revenues accrue from their leadership position in home audio/video network solutions such as HomePNA. Moving forward, we are continuing to pursue major design wins in the hybrid IP Cable set-top box industry and increased adoption of Z-Wave based home control solutions."

16:05

SLTC Selectica (SLTCD): Delaware Court of Chancery upholds Selectica shareholder rights plan (4.00 -0.13)

Co announced that the Delaware Court of Chancery has ruled in favor of Selectica in a lawsuit seeking a determination of the validity of its shareholder rights plan. The Court concluded that the Selectica Board of Directors' adoption of a shareholder rights plan with a 4.99% threshold designed to protect the co's net operating loss carryforwards, and actions taken by the Board in response to an intentional trigger of the plan by Versata Enterprises and Trilogy, were both valid exercises of the board's business judgment.

16:04

PETM PETsMART beats by $0.05, reports revs in-line; guides Q1 EPS above consensus; guides FY11 EPS above consensus (27.71 -0.07)

Reports Q4 (Jan) earnings of $0.61 per share, $0.05 better than the First Call consensus of $0.56; revenues rose 3.4% year/year to $1.41 bln vs the $1.4 bln consensus. Co issues upside guidance for Q1, sees EPS of $0.40-0.44 vs. $0.38 consensus. Co issues upside guidance for FY11, sees EPS of $1.73-1.83 vs. $1.68 consensus. "For 2010, we remain cautiously optimistic about the economic climate. While challenges remain in the macro economy, we continue to focus on those things we can control."

16:02

FNSR Finisar beats by $0.01, beats on revs; guides Q4 revs above consensus (12.93 +0.05)

Reports Q3 (Jan) earnings of $0.17 per share, $0.01 better than the First Call consensus of $0.16; revs rose 32% YoY to $166.9 mln vs $164.80 mln First Call consensus. Co issues upside guidance for Q4, sees Q4 revs of $175-185 mln vs. $167.22 mln consensus. Additional non-cash and infrequently occurring charges excluded in calculating non-GAAP operating income are expected to total approximately $6 to $8 million. As a result, on a non-GAAP basis, gross margin is also expected to be approximately the same as the third quarter with non-GAAP operating margin in the range of 8.5% to 10%.

16:01

IEP Icahn Enterprises reports Q4 EPS of ($0.09) vs. ($6.49) a year ago; revs of $1.69 bln vs. $236 mln a year ago (47.63 -0.24)

16:01

ARO Aeropostale 3-for-2 stock split effective March 5, 2010 (35.51 +0.80)

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