Posts Tagged ‘wfmi’

WFMI comes to eat, C steady CSCO bruised

Thursday, February 10th, 2011

Whole Foods Market Inc. (Nasdaq: WFMI) shares gained 11.2% to $59.77, on volumes of 3.4 million shares, already twice its daily average, after the natural-foods grocer late Wednesday hiked its full-year earnings guidance.

Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) took its place at the head of the volume parade, trading in 112.7 million shares Thursday, making headway on its daily average of 544.3 million. Prices dropped 0.9%, however, to $4.80, after its Securities and Funds arm swore in a new Chief Operating Officer.

Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO) shares declined 12.4% to $19.31. Volumes were 174.1 million shares, obliterating a daily average of 75.4 million, after the networking-equipment giant late Wednesday reported poor quarterly margins.

Whole Foods Market, Inc. (WFMI) – Buzz Stock of the Day

Thursday, November 4th, 2010

Shares of natural and organic grocer Whole Foods Market, Inc. (Nasdaq: WFMI) touched a new 52-week high of $47.37 on Thursday after the company reported strong fourth quarter numbers, driven by strong sales momentum.

Net income for the fourth quarter ended September 26 more than doubled to $57.5 million, or 33 cents per share, compared to net income of $28.7 million, or 20 cents per share, a year earlier. Fourth quarter revenue increased 15 percent to $2.1 billion. Analysts, on average, were expecting earnings of 28 cents per share on revenue of $2.07 billion, according to a survey by Thomson Reuters.
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Whole Foods’ sales have been increasing for several quarters, and although the company had expected sales to moderate in Q4 due to a seasonal slow-down and tough comparison to the prior year when sales were starting to improve, revenue at stores open at least a year rose 8.7 percent in the quarter, above the 6.5 to 7.5 percent growth Whole Foods expected. The Austin-based company attributed its sales growth to more competitive pricing and efforts during the quarter to appeal to its core customers’ concerns about healthy eating, animal welfare and sustainable seafood.

Whole Foods also strengthened its balance sheet in Q4, ending the quarter with free cash flow of $67 million. The company was forced to retool as the recession took hold, and halted its dividend, cut costs, closed some stores and offered more lower-priced options. Whole Foods also slowed its new store openings during that time but said it plans to open a number of new stores in the coming year, including an announcement Wednesday that it has plans to open several in the United Kingdom.

“From a financial perspective, we are well-positioned to reaccelerate our new store growth,” said Whole Foods’ Co-CEO John Mackey in an earnings call. “Our strong top- and bottom-line performance, along with our renewed capital expense discipline, have resulted in consistent cash flow, lower debt and a very healthy balance sheet.”

WFMI, UNTD, SMSI – Notable Nasdaq Gainers

Thursday, November 4th, 2010

Shares of natural goods grocer, Whole Foods Market, Inc. (Nasdaq: WFMI)were up as much as 13 percent from Wednesday closing price in morning trading on Thursday. Shares touched a new 52-week high of $46.80 on nearly triple the company’s three-month average trading volume in mid-day trading on Wednesday. Net income for the fourth quarter ended September 26 increased to to $57.5 million, or 33 cents a share, from $28.7 million, or 20 cents a share a year earlier. Analysts, on average were expecting EPS of 28 cents per share, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The company boosted its fiscal 2011 profit estimates to as much as $1.71 a share, from a previous high of $1.64. Whole Foods’ fourth quarter sales rose 15 percent to $2.1 billion, from $1.8 billion. Analysts were expecting revenue of $2.07 billion, according to Bloomberg. “We believe the company has strong growth prospects as market share gains combine with favorable industry trends and a better higher-end consumer to drive sales,” he said, noting the company is also controlling its costs, which all helps the bottom line,” said Jefferies & Co. analyst Scott Mushkin in a note to clients on Thursday. Mushkin raised his price target to $47, from $45, and maintained his fiscal 2011 EPS estimate of $1.72. Shares of WFMI are up about 28 percent over the past three months.

Shares of Internet consumer products and services provider, United Online, Inc. (Nasdaq: UNTD) soared more than 18 percent from Wednesday’s closing price in morning trading on Thursday, reaching an intraday high of $7.28 per share, at mid-day. United Online announced consolidated third quarter revenues were $193.5 million, down 10 percent form a year earlier. GAAP diluted net income per common share was 13 cents, down from 18 cents a year earlier. Adjusted diluted net income per common share was $0.25, versus $0.33 in the year-ago quarter. During the quarter, United Online repurchased 2.2 million common shares in open market transactions during the quarter for $11.0 million, resulting in an average cost of $5.07 per share. The company also paid $9.3 million in cash dividends during the quarter. The company expects fourth quarter revenue to range between $223 million and $229 million. The Woodland Hills-based company operates in three segments: FTD, Classmates Media, and Communications. The FTD segment markets flowers and specialty gift items. Classmates Media offers online social networking services under the Classmates brand name; and online loyalty marketing services under the MyPoints name. It also provides international social networking services under the StayFriends and Trombi names. The Communications segment offers dial-up Internet access under the NetZero and Juno brand names, and provides services including broadband, email, Internet security, and Web hosting. Shares of United Online, Inc. are up about 33 percent over the past three months.

Shares of software maker Smith Micro, Inc. (Nasdaq: SMSI) were up almost 14 percent in mid-day trading on Thursday, and touched a new 52-week high of $14.17 per share, after the company reported record third quarter revenue of $34.0 million, up 22 percent increase over $27.8 million reported in the third quarter of last year. GAAP net income for the third quarter of 2010 increased to $3.1 million or 9 cents per diluted share, up from $2.0 million, or 6 cents per diluted share a year ago. Non-GAAP net income for the third quarter of 2010 increased to $7.9 million, or 23 cents per diluted share, compared to $6.6 million, or 20 cents per diluted share, reported in the same quarter a year ago. “We’ve executed on three solid quarters in 2010 with record revenue and strong profitability and we remain comfortable with our guidance with annual revenue’s landing within the original range of $125 million to $135 million,” said Smith Micro’s CEO, Bill Smith in an earnings call. Shares of Smith Micro are up 58 percent over the past three months.