Buzz Stock of the Day – True Religion Apparel (TRLG)

Posted on Wednesday, May 6th, 2009

Earlier this week, premium jeans brand (and our Buzz Stock of the Day), True Religion Apparel, Inc. (Nasdaq: TRLG), announced a 10 percent jump in its first quarter profit and a 19 percent jump in sales, over the same period last year.

The company also increased its cash balance to $76.5 million and carried no debt ahead, and expanded its gross margin by 380 basis points to 60.9 percent, from 57.1 percent last year. Operating income for the quarter increased 15 percent to $13.1 million, from $11.4 million a year ago, and net profit per share increased to $0.32, from $0.29 a year ago. Earnings were buoyed by a 26 percent increase in international sales and a 96 percent increase in branded retail stores an through e-commerce, offset by an 11 percent decline in sales for the company’s U.S. wholesale segment.

True Religion also expanded its consumer direct segment, growing its total store count to 49 as of March 31st, and 51 stores as of today. According to True Religion Apparel chairman CEO, Jeff Lubel, the “expansion of our consumer direct segment is a key component of our growth strategy.”

CFO, Pete Collins reiterated the company’s guidance of net sales between $290 million and $297 million in 2009.

Shares of TRLG were up as much as 24 percent today, largely because of results from a private survey showing the smallest decline in private-sector employment in six months.

Other retailers that were up in mid-day trading included Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF) and Sears Holding Corp. (Nasdaq: SHLD).

Click here to get FREE, daily micro-cap picks from the pros and other actionable trade ideas! No spam. No fee!

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Consumer Discretionary Stocks by admin | No Comments »


Buzz Stock of the Day – China Architectural Engineering (CAEI)

Posted on Monday, May 4th, 2009


China Architectural Engineering, Inc. (Nasdaq: CAEI) specializes in the design, engineering, fabrication and installation of curtain wall systems, roofing systems, steel construction systems, and eco-energy saving building conservation systems.

The company is in three sweet spots in the market–infrastructure stocks, China stocks and green stocks.

In late March, the Zhuhai-based company reported results for 2008. Among the bright spots, a 75 percent increase in contract revenue compared to last year, and a reduction of net loss to $5.9 million, compared with $12 million a year earlier.

Gross profit for the year ended December 31, 2008 was $22.8 million, an increase of $0.5 million, or 2 percent, from $22.3 million for the comparable period of 2007. The company’s gross margin for the year ended December 31, 2008 was 15.0 percent as compared with 25.7 percentfor the year ended December 31, 2007. The decrease was primarily a result of higher raw material, project set-up costs, and labor costs, especially in China.

Shares of CAEI were up more than 22 percent at mid-day trading on the Nasdaq.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Industrial Stocks, Materials Stocks by admin | No Comments »


Buzz Stock of the Day – Tree.com (TREE)

Posted on Friday, May 1st, 2009


Shares of our Buzz Stock of the Day — Tree.com, Inc. (Nasdaq: TREE) closed almost 40 percent higher todaya fter reporting positive earnings for the first quarter of 2009.

The Charlotte-based company, is the parent of several brands and businesses in the financial services and real estate industries including LendingTree(r), LendingTree Loans(sm), GetSmart(r), Home Loan Center, RealEstate.com, iNest(r), and RealEstate.com, REALTORS(r).


Tree.com, Inc. today reported Q1 earnings of $0.32 per diluted share on revenue of $57.3 million, compared with a net loss of $1.05 per share on revenue of $70.2 million in the same period a year earlier. Revenue for Q1 2009 increased 19 percent sequentially. The company generated EBITDA of nearly $8 million in Q1.

“While we are pleased to deliver positive earnings per share and sequential quarterly improvements in revenue, we continue to benefit from a declining mortgage rate environment,” said Tree.com’ CFO, Matt Packey. “We had concerns towards the middle of Q109, as we saw rates start to tick back up, that we would have to begin spending more heavily on marketing again. However, based on what we have experienced throughout April 2009, and in seeing various market forecasts for continued low rates through the end of 2009, we do not anticipate having to significantly increase our marketing expense to drive additional volume.”

As of March 31, 2009, Tree.com had $81.4 million in cash and cash equivalents compared to $73.6 million as of December 31, 2008. The key drivers behind the increase in cash included $7.9 in EBITDA that was generated, $1.9 million of cash received from the sale of restricted common stock, $3.6 million of positive net working capital changes and a $0.2 million increase related to a decrease in restricted cash. These increases were partially offset by a $4.2 million net cash outflow related to timing of the origination and sale of loans and warehouse line activity, as well as $1.6 million outflow for acquisition payments and capital expenditures in the quarter.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Financial Stocks by admin | No Comments »


Buzz Stock of the Day – Endwave (ENWV)

Posted on Thursday, April 30th, 2009

Earlier today, Microsemi Corp. (Nasdaq: MSCC) announced that it acquired a defense electronics and security business from our Buzz Stock of the Day — Endwave Corp. (Nasdaq: ENWV) — for $28 million in cash and the assumption of specified liabilities.

Endwave’s D&S group has developed many innovative, state of the art products and has won several contracts to supply these products on major systems projects with many current Microsemi customers such as Boeing, Cobham, L3, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon.

Shares of Endwave were up as much as 51 percent today on the news.

Later today, Endwave announced results for the first quarter.

Revenues were $12.0 million for the first quarter of 2009, compared with $14.2 million for the first quarter of 2008 and $9.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2008. Net loss, calculated in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (GAAP), for the first quarter of 2009 was $3.7 million, or $0.39 per share, compared with net loss for the first quarter of 2008 of $1.9 million, or $0.21 per share, and net loss for the fourth quarter of 2008 of $11.1 million, or $1.19 per share.Non-GAAP net loss for the first quarter of 2009 was $1.6 million, or $0.17 per share, compared with non-GAAP net loss for the first quarter of 2008 of $603,000, or $0.07 per share, and non-GAAP net loss for the fourth quarter of 2008 of $3.0 million, or $0.32 per share.

“We reported two very positive events today,” said Ed Keible, Endwave’s CEO and President. “First, we were pleased to see our overall revenues expand, compared to Q4 2008, driven primarily by demand from our key telecom customer. Second, Microsemi Corporation acquired the assets of our non-telecom products business. The decision to divest our non-telecom operations was a difficult decision for us, as we believe that this business has great promise. However, Microsemi has the scale and funding needed to take this business to the next level, the price offered by Microsemi was one we determined to be in the best interests of our stockholders, and we believe this transaction may help clear the way for other strategic alternatives that may be available for our communication products business.”

Endwave, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, manufacture, and marketing of radio frequency (RF) modules that enable the transmission, reception, and processing of high frequency signals in telecommunication networks, defense electronics, homeland security systems, electronic instrumentation, and other applications that require high frequency RF circuitry and subsystems.

For the trailing-12-month period, Endwave earned $6.32 per share on revenue of $58.2 million. The company has about $40 million of cash in the bank, and a small float (9.12 million shares).

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Technology Stocks by admin | No Comments »


Buzz Stock of the Day – Sharps Compliance (SMED)

Posted on Wednesday, April 29th, 2009

Our Buzz Stock of the Day — Sharps Compliance Corp. (OTCBB: SCOM) — provides medical waste disposal solutions for the healthcare industry and U.S. consumers. The Houston-based company’s flagship product, the Sharps Disposal by Mail System, is used to dispose of medical waste including hypodermic needles, lancets and other medical devices and objects used to puncture or lacerate the skin.

Sharps Compliance Corp. reported a sharp increase in Q3 profits, thanks in large part to a recently announced $40 million contract with an agency of the U.S. Government Customer billings. Revenue for the third quarter increased to $6 million, from $2.9 million a year earlier. Revenue for the nine-month period ended March 31, 2009 increased 35 percent to $13.6 million, compared to the same period last year.

“Our third quarter results reflect the success of our full-service medical waste management solutions and the business model that we have developed as we execute our first large scale government contract,” said the company’s chairman and CEO, Dr. Burton J. Kunik. “We have created a convenient, cost-effective and safe method to properly dispose of medical and pharmaceutical waste in locations outside of the hospital setting to include homes, alternative care facilities, retail clinics, industrial and commercial facilities and emergency management programs.”

Gross margin for the quarter was 59.2 percent, compared to 49 percent a year earlier. Operating income, or profit realized from the company’s operations, was $2 million or 33.2 percent of revenue for the quarter, compared with an operating loss of $100,000 for same period a year ago.

As of March 31st, Sharps Compliance Corp. had $3.6 million in working capital, up from $1.9 million at June 30, 2008. Total assets increased to $11.8 million, from $5.7 million at june30, 2008.

There is a growing interest for the company’s RXTakeAway(TM) line of products, according to a recent earnings release.

“We believe our new line of products address a very serious disposal issue in the country that is currently harming our environment and placing our children at risk,” said Kunik. “Our existing solutions and infrastructure are uniquely positioned to facilitate the proper and cost-effective disposal of unused medications in the consumer / community markets.”

The company has a very small float — only 5.6 million shares, and has outperformed the S&P 500 over the past 52-weeks. Sharps has quarterly earnings growth (yoy) of 317 percent, and earned about $1.6 million, on revenue of $13.3 million (ttm).

Click here for the latest micro-cap picks from the pros! No spam. No fee.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Health Care Stocks, Industrial Stocks by admin | No Comments »


« Older Entries
Newer Entries »