Street Beat: Articleshttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29.aspxThe Street Beat's up-to-the minute stock market commentary, quotes & analysis, video charts and hot stock alerts will help you make smart investment decisions. We know the hot stocks to watch today!sean@thestreetbeat.com (The Street Beat)support@viestly.com (Vesta Digital)Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:18:18 GMTWed, 22 Feb 2012 20:18:18 GMTViestly60How Target Figured Out A Teen Girl Was Pregnant Before Her Father Didhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3553-how-target-figured-out-a-teen-girl-was-pregnant-before-her-father-did.aspxPalm Beach, FL 2/22/12 (StreetBeat) -- Every time you go shopping, you share intimate details about your consumption patterns with retailers. And many of those retailers are studying those details to figure out what you like, what you need, and which coupons are most likely to make you happy. Target (NYSE: TGT), for example, has figured out how to data-mine its way into your womb, to figure out whether you have a baby on the way long before you need to start buying diapers.

Charles Duhigg outlines in the New York Times how Target tries to hook parents-to-be at that crucial moment before they turn into rampant — and loyal — buyers of all things pastel, plastic, and miniature. He talked to Target statistician Andrew Pole — before Target freaked out and cut off all communications — about the clues to a customer’s impending bundle of joy. Target assigns every customer a Guest ID number, tied to their credit card, name, or email address that becomes a bucket that stores a history of everything they’ve bought and any demographic information Target has collected from them or bought from other sources. Using that, Pole looked at historical buying data for all the ladies who had signed up for Target baby registries in the past. From the NYT:

[Pole] ran test after test, analyzing the data, and before long some useful patterns emerged. Lotions, for example. Lots of people buy lotion, but one of Pole’s colleagues noticed that women on the baby registry were buying larger quantities of unscented lotion around the beginning of their second trimester. Another analyst noted that sometime in the first 20 weeks, pregnant women loaded up on supplements like calcium, magnesium and zinc. Many shoppers purchase soap and cotton balls, but when someone suddenly starts buying lots of scent-free soap and extra-big bags of cotton balls, in addition to hand sanitizers and washcloths, it signals they could be getting close to their delivery date.

Or have a rather nasty infection…

As Pole’s computers crawled through the data, he was able to identify about 25 products that, when analyzed together, allowed him to assign each shopper a “pregnancy prediction” score. More important, he could also estimate her due date to within a small window, so Target could send coupons timed to very specific stages of her pregnancy.

One Target employee I spoke to provided a hypothetical example. Take a fictional Target shopper named Jenny Ward, who is 23, lives in Atlanta and in March bought cocoa-butter lotion, a purse large enough to double as a diaper bag, zinc and magnesium supplements and a bright blue rug. There’s, say, an 87 percent chance that she’s pregnant and that her delivery date is sometime in late August.

And perhaps that it’s a boy based on the color of that rug?

So Target started sending coupons for baby items to customers according to their pregnancy scores. Duhigg shares an anecdote — so good that it sounds made up — that conveys how eerily accurate the targeting is. An angry man went into a Target outside of Minneapolis, demanding to talk to a manager:
“My daughter got this in the mail!” he said. “She’s still in high school, and you’re sending her coupons for baby clothes and cribs? Are you trying to encourage her to get pregnant?”

The manager didn’t have any idea what the man was talking about. He looked at the mailer. Sure enough, it was addressed to the man’s daughter and contained advertisements for maternity clothing, nursery furniture and pictures of smiling infants. The manager apologized and then called a few days later to apologize again.
(Nice customer service, Target.)

On the phone, though, the father was somewhat abashed. “I had a talk with my daughter,” he said. “It turns out there’s been some activities in my house I haven’t been completely aware of. She’s due in August. I owe you an apology.”

What Target discovered fairly quickly is that it creeped people out that the company knew about their pregnancies in advance.

“If we send someone a catalog and say, ‘Congratulations on your first child!’ and they’ve never told us they’re pregnant, that’s going to make some people uncomfortable,” Pole told me. “We are very conservative about compliance with all privacy laws. But even if you’re following the law, you can do things where people get queasy.”

Bold is mine. That’s a quote for our times.

So Target got sneakier about sending the coupons. The company can create personalized booklets; instead of sending people with high pregnancy scores books o’ coupons solely for diapers, rattles, strollers, and the “Go the F*** to Bed” book, they more subtly spread them about:

“Then we started mixing in all these ads for things we knew pregnant women would never buy, so the baby ads looked random. We’d put an ad for a lawn mower next to diapers. We’d put a coupon for wineglasses next to infant clothes. That way, it looked like all the products were chosen by chance.
“And we found out that as long as a pregnant woman thinks she hasn’t been spied on, she’ll use the coupons. She just assumes that everyone else on her block got the same mailer for diapers and cribs. As long as we don’t spook her, it works.”

So the Target philosophy towards expecting parents is similar to the first date philosophy? Even if you’ve fully stalked the person on Facebook and Googlebeforehand, pretend like you know less than you do so as not to creep the person out.

Duhigg suggests that Target’s gangbusters revenue growth — $44 billion in 2002, when Pole was hired, to $67 billion in 2010 — is attributable to Pole’s helping the retail giant corner the baby-on-board market, citing company president Gregg Steinhafel boasting to investors about the company’s “heightened focus on items and categories that appeal to specific guest segments such as mom and baby.”

Target was none too happy about Duhigg’s plans to write this story. They refused to let him go to Target headquarters. When he flew out anyway, he discovered he was on a list of prohibited visitors.

I think most readers of the excellent piece will find it both unsettling and unsurprising. With all the talk these days about the data grab most companies are engaged in, Target’s collection and analysis seem as expected as its customers’ babies. But with their analysis moving into areas as sensitive as pregnancy, and so accurately, who knows how else they might start profiling Target shoppers? The store’s bulls-eye logo may now send a little shiver of fear down the closely-watched spines of some, though I can promise you that Target is not the only store doing this. Those people chilled by stores’ tracking and profiling them may want to consider going the way of the common criminal — and paying for far more of their purchases in cash.

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]]>Andy DufraneWed, 22 Feb 2012 17:37:00 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3553-how-target-figured-out-a-teen-girl-was-pregnant-before-her-father-did.aspxToreador and ZaZa Energy Corp (Nasdaq: ZAZA) Finalize Combinationhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3552-toreador-and-zaza-energy-corp-nasdaq-zaza-finalize-combination.aspxNorthern, WI 2/22/12 (StreetBeat) -- ZaZa Energy Corporation (NASDAQ: ZAZA) announced today that it has completed the combination of Toreador Resources and ZaZa Energy LLC, creating an international resource-focused exploration and production company. ZaZa’s portfolio includes producing and exploration assets in the Eagle Ford and Eaglebine resource plays in Texas and the Paris Basin in France. In the merger, each share of Toreador was converted into one share of ZaZa common stock. Today, the common stock of ZaZa Energy Corporation begins trading on the NASDAQ exchange under the stock ticker symbol “ZAZA”.

As previously disclosed, ZaZa’s new Board of Directors includes five independent directors and four executive directors. The independent directors are: Travis Burris, Bernard de Combret, Adam Kroloff, Herbert Williamson and Fred Zeidman. The executive directors are: Todd Brooks, John Hearn, Gaston Kearby and Craig McKenzie. Fred Zeidman will serve as the non-executive Chairman of the Board. Craig McKenzie will serve as President and Chief Executive Officer, and Charles Campise will serve as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer.

ZaZa today also announced that it has issued senior secured notes with a principal amount of $100 million maturing in 2017 (the “Notes”) in a private placement to a group of investors led by MSD Energy Partners, L.P. and Senator Investment Group LP. The Notes bear interest at a rate of 8% per annum, payable quarterly. In connection with the issue of the Notes, ZaZa also issued to the investors warrants to purchase an aggregate of approximately 26.3 million shares of ZaZa common stock at $3.15 per share (the “Warrants”). The Warrants expire in five years and are exercisable at any time after the six month anniversary of the issuance date. The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Notes to fund acreage acquisitions, drilling programs, the repayment of certain existing debt, costs associated with the merger and for general corporate purposes.

The Company also noted that the original ZaZa equity holders (“Holders”) have entered into agreements to sell approximately 8.3 million shares of ZaZa common stock in private resales to certain institutional investors, which will bring their pro forma ownership to approximately 67.9 million shares. These transactions will be disclosed by the Holders through appropriate regulatory filings.

Craig McKenzie, President and Chief Executive Officer of ZaZa, said, “We are pleased to have completed both the corporate combination and the new financing. ZaZa is poised to develop a unique asset portfolio of approximately 500,000 net acres in two world-class resource basins. Our goal is to provide immediate and sustainable production in the Eagle Ford and Eaglebine plays in Texas, while also progressing our position in the Paris Basin, France, where we have an attractive exposure to a very large oil resource. We look forward to realizing the significant potential of our compelling growth platform for the benefit of all stakeholders.”

ZaZa will provide a full corporate update and future outlook at the time of its Form 10-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission in late March 2012.

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]]>Steve KanavalWed, 22 Feb 2012 17:16:54 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3552-toreador-and-zaza-energy-corp-nasdaq-zaza-finalize-combination.aspxPapa John's (Nasdaq: PZZA) shares fall after revenue falls shorthttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3551-papa-johns-nasdaq-pzza-shares-fall-after-revenue-falls-short.aspxNorthern, WI 2/22/12 (StreetBeat) -- Shares of Papa John's International Inc. (Nasdaq: PZZA) tumbled Wednesday after the pizza chain reported fourth-quarter revenue and same-store sales that fell short of Wall Street expectations.

THE SPARK: The company said late Tuesday its revenue in the fourth quarter was $306.2 million, up almost 7 percent from $286.8 million a year earlier. But the increase fell short of expectations; analysts on average had forecast revenue of $311.4 million, according to FactSet.

Papa John's also noted that the jump in revenue was largely driven by international sales, given the increase in the number of new restaurants overseas.

Meanwhile, same-store sales companywide increased by 1.7 percent in North America, which was short of the 2.9 percent increase analysts had expected. The modest increase was the result of domestic stores and franchises; international same-store sales remained strong and increased 5.2 percent. Same-store sales, or sales in locations open at least a year, is a key metric of a retailer's health because it excludes results from recently opened or closed sites.

THE BIG PICTURE: Despite the revenue miss, the company's quarterly income rose by 14 percent. In the three months ended Dec. 25, Papa John's earned $16 million, or 65 cents per share, ahead of the average estimate of 62 cents per share. That's compared with $14 million, or 55 cents per share, a year earlier.

CEO John Schnatter also noted the company had the highest number of net store openings in 10 years and that the company delivered its eight straight year of even or positive same-store sales growth. The Louisville, Ky., company also maintained its guidance for 2012 net income of $2.33 to $2.43 per share. Analysts were expecting a profit of $2.44 per share, on average.

THE SHARES: Shares of Papa John's were down $2.60, or 6.5 percent, at $37.69 in morning trading. Over the past year shares have traded between $26.95 and $40.82.

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]]>Steve KanavalWed, 22 Feb 2012 16:43:00 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3551-papa-johns-nasdaq-pzza-shares-fall-after-revenue-falls-short.aspxNoah Holdings Limited (NYSE: NOAH) Obtains a Mutual Fund Distribution License in Chinahttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3550-noah-holdings-limited-nyse-noah-obtains-a-mutual-fund-distribution-license-in-china.aspxOrlando, FL 2/22/12 (StreetBeat) -- Noah Holdings Limited (NYSE: NOAH), the leading independent service provider focusing on distributing wealth management products to the high net worth population in China, announced that a PRC affiliated entity of Noah, Noah Upright Co. Ltd., today was granted a mutual fund distribution license by the China Securities Regulatory Commission (the “CSRC”). Noah Upright is amongst the first to be granted a mutual fund distribution license after the CSRC began to receive applications last year. Noah Upright, renamed from Shanghai Noah Investment Consulting Co. Ltd., is an independent mutual fund distribution and advisory company serving high net worth individuals in China.

Ms. Jingbo Wang, Noah’s Co-founder, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer, commented, “We are pleased that we were granted a mutual fund distribution license by the CSRC. We believe that being able to distribute mutual funds will augment our product portfolio and allow us to better serve our clients in China. We will actively refine our mutual fund distribution strategies and related execution in the coming future. ”

ABOUT NOAH HOLDINGS LIMITED
Noah Holdings Limited is the leading service provider focusing on distributing wealth management products to the high net worth population in China. Noah distributes over-the-counter wealth management products that are originated in China, including primarily fixed income products, private equity funds and securities investment funds. With over 500 relationship managers in 53 branch offices as of September 30, 2011, Noah’s total coverage network encompasses China’s most economically developed regions where the high net worth population is concentrated. Through this extensive coverage network, product sophistication, and client knowledge, the Company caters to the wealth management needs of China’s high net worth population.

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]]>Janice MeehanWed, 22 Feb 2012 16:25:37 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3550-noah-holdings-limited-nyse-noah-obtains-a-mutual-fund-distribution-license-in-china.aspxMacroSolve (PK: MCVE) Files Patent Infringement Suit Against GEICOhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3549-macrosolve-pk-mcve-files-patent-infringement-suit-against-geico.aspxOrlando, FL 2/22/12 (StreetBeat) -- MacroSolve, Inc., (Pinksheets: MCVE), a leading provider of mobile technologies, apps and solutions for business, yesterday announced it has filed a patent infringement suit against GEICO Insurance Agency, Inc., GEICO Casualty Company, and Government Employees Insurance Company, all wholly owned subsidiaries of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. (NYSE: BRK) for violation of MacroSolve's U.S. Patent No. 7,822,816.

"Our patent underlies mobile apps that are deployed today across virtually all industries, including insurance. With this suit and others which we've already filed, we will continue to protect our intellectual property rights," stated MacroSolve Vice Chairman Jim McGill.

MacroSolve's lawsuit against GEICO and its affiliates claims that, "Defendants, directly or through intermediaries, made, used, imported, provided, supplied, distributed, sold and/or offered for sale products and/or systems (including at least their GEICO mobile application product and/or service) that infringed one or more claims of the '816 patent and/or defendants induced infringement and/or contributed to the infringement of one or more of the claims of the '816 patent by their customers."

On October 26, 2010, the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued U.S. Patent No. 7,822,816 to MacroSolve. The patent, a significant intellectual property asset to MacroSolve, further advances its position as a leader in the mobile solutions market. The patent addresses mobile information collection systems across all wireless networks, smartphones, tablets, and rugged mobile devices, regardless of carrier and manufacturer, and is currently utilized in MacroSolve's rapid mobile app development platforms. MacroSolve's patent covers fundamental technology in the mobile application space utilized by multiple companies.

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]]>Janice MeehanWed, 22 Feb 2012 16:13:11 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3549-macrosolve-pk-mcve-files-patent-infringement-suit-against-geico.aspxSourcefire (Nasdaq: FIRE) Surges on First-Quarter Forecasthttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3548-sourcefire-nasdaq-fire-surges-on-first-quarter-forecast.aspxTallahasee, FL 2/22/12 (StreetBeat) -- Sourcefire (Nasdaq: FIRE) Inc., a network-security company, rose as much as 16 percent in pre-market trading after demand for protection against cybercrime drove the company’s first-quarter revenue forecast above analysts’ estimates.

The Columbia, Maryland-based company predicted revenue of $40 million to $42 million, according to a statement released yesterday after the close of regular trading. That topped the $38.4 million average estimate of analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. Sourcefire also reported adjusted earnings of 25 cents a share for the 2011 fourth quarter, beating the average estimate of 19 cents.

“With our strong position and all the press given to the threats targeted at the federal government, it’s clear to us that our solutions are a funding priority,” Sourefire Chief Executive Officer John Burris said on a conference call yesterday.

Sourefire rose to $40.80 in pre-market trading at 8:28 a.m. in New York and had climbed as high as $41.50, compared with the close of $35.82 yesterday. The shares advanced 45 percent in the 12 months before today.

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]]>Ashley MontgomeryWed, 22 Feb 2012 15:22:13 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3548-sourcefire-nasdaq-fire-surges-on-first-quarter-forecast.aspxSkinny Nutritional Corp. (OTCBB: SKNY) Signs Agreement with Cott Corporation's Cliffstar Subsidiaryhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3547-skinny-nutritional-corp-otcbb-skny-signs-agreement-with-cott-corporations-cliffstar-subsidiary.aspxTallahasee, FL 2/22/12 (StreetBeat) -- Skinny Nutritional Corp. (OTCBB: SKNY), the maker of Skinny Water® and a leader in the zero-calorie enhanced water category, announced yesterday that is has entered into an exclusive agreement with the Cliffstar subsidiary of the Cott Corporation (NYSE: COT), one of the world's largest beverage companies focusing on private label and contract manufacturing. Cott operates soft drink, juice, water and other beverage bottling facilities in the United States, Canada, the U.K. and Mexico. Cott markets beverage concentrates in over 50 countries around the world.

Independently, Skinny Water® is quickly expanding its popular beverage line, which is now available in all 50 states, along with the rapidly increasing demand among retailers for the products. As a result of this agreement, Skinny Nutritional's line of Skinny Water® zero-calorie enhanced beverages will be exclusively manufactured and distributed by Cott to selected new and existing customers through its retail channels, providing increased scalability for the Skinny Water® brand.

This agreement spans beverage production, raw materials procurement, research and development, freight management and retail inventory management. The agreement comes on the heels of Skinny Nutritional Corp.'s addition of many new regional distributors and new chain store authorizations in 2011.

"We are extremely excited to announce this strategic relationship with Cliffstar," said Michael Salaman, CEO of Skinny Nutritional Corporation. "This agreement allows us to do business with some of the largest retailers in the country and concentrate our resources on marketing and sales. We will be closely working with Cliffstar to introduce and aggressively market Skinny Water throughout the territory. As demand continues to rise, our retail channels are becoming increasingly aware that the concept of 'Skinny' works everywhere."

"We are excited to support Skinny Water in their continued growth," said Mike Gibbons, President of Cott's U.S. business unit. "We think that 'Skinny' is an exciting brand and the company's mission to provide healthy beverages is right in tune with today's marketplace. Cott is very careful when selecting new beverages to take to market, so considering Skinny Water's exceptional taste and zero-calorie characteristics it was an easy decision, which we believe will resonate with health-conscious consumers."

The Skinny Water® lineup features eight great-tasting flavors, including Acai Grape Blueberry (Hi-Energy), Raspberry Pomegranate (Crave Control), Lemonade Passionfruit (Total-V), Orange Cranberry Tangerine (Wake Up) and as part of its 'Sport' line: Blue Raspberry (Fit), Pink Citrus Berry (Power), Kiwi Lime (Active) and Goji Black Cherry (Shape). Every bottle of Skinny Water® has key electrolytes, antioxidants, and vitamins and has zero calories, sugar, and sodium, and no preservatives, with all natural colors and flavors.

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]]>Ashley MontgomeryWed, 22 Feb 2012 14:53:28 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3547-skinny-nutritional-corp-otcbb-skny-signs-agreement-with-cott-corporations-cliffstar-subsidiary.aspxXtreme Oil & Gas (OTCBB: XTOG) Announces Hancock Well Oil Productionhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3546-xtreme-oil-gas-otcbb-xtog-announces-hancock-well-oil-production.aspxTallahasee, FL 2/22/12 (StreetBeat) -- Xtreme Oil & Gas, Inc. (OTCBB: XTOG), an independent energy company engaged in the exploration, development, and production of crude oil, announced today that the company has begun oil production from their Hancock Well site in Oklahoma. The Hancock well has produced 20,000 barrels of oil, and is continuing output at 150 barrels per day. Additionally, the well has produced 60,000 mcf of gas at a rate of 700 mcf per day.

"Xtreme is extremely pleased to announce the significant production of oil and gas from our Hancock well in Oklahoma," stated Willard G. McAndrew, CEO of Xtreme Oil & Gas. "In addition to providing validation of our successful drilling techniques, the results offer encouragement for similar production amongst our nearby Robinson location. We are currently performing drilling operations across three states. Management is confident that we will experience similar results throughout our portfolio of wells in Oklahoma and Kansas as we ramp production during 2012. We are pleased to begin generating strong returns for our investors."

Hancock is located in the Sooner trend in the Anadarko Basin and is drilled to the Hunton formation. The site recently underwent a state of the art 16 stage fracking operation to expand the wellbore's reach into the oil and gas formation.

About Xtreme Oil & Gas
Xtreme Oil & Gas, Inc. is a rapidly growing Texas-based independent energy company engaged in the exploration, development, acquisition, and production of crude oil and natural gas with operations from properties it owns in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. The company's oilfield services disposes of saltwater for independent energy producers.

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]]>Ashley MontgomeryWed, 22 Feb 2012 14:40:36 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3546-xtreme-oil-gas-otcbb-xtog-announces-hancock-well-oil-production.aspxRaystream (OTCBB: RAYS) Announces Contract with Cineflyhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3545-raystream-otcbb-rays-announces-contract-with-cinefly.aspxPalm Beach, FL 2/22/12 (StreetBeat) -- Internet TV company Cinefly recently completed a 30-day evaluation period, during which Cinefly tested and assessed the HD video compression services offered by Raystream Inc. (OTCBB: RAYS). After experiencing the capabilities of Raystream’s cloud-based compression tools within its own video delivery system, Cinefly has now signed a year-long agreement with Raystream.

Cinefly is an internet television site offering instructional, travel and destination, documentary, and conservation films from around the world, all dedicated to the sport of fly fishing. Cinefly also provides industry news, gear reviews, vodcasts, and new release trailers, as well as download-to-own movies and DVD/Blu-ray titles.

"We were definitely skeptical that Raystream's compression technology could deliver such reduced bitrates and file sizes without impacting image quality. After compressing various source files with different codecs and bitrates, however, and seeing no obvious compression artifacts or loss in quality, we were sold,” said Rick Williams, founder of Cinefly. “We've now signed up with Raystream because of the significant savings we'll realize in streaming and storage costs of our premium HD content.”

Raystream’s HD video compression technology decreases the file size of HD videos by an average of 70 percent, with no significant decrease in the sharp images and intense colors of HD. Using Raystream’s services will enable Cinefly to dramatically reduce bandwidth and data storage costs, while providing viewers with excellent quality streaming video.

“We are pleased to announce this agreement with Cinefly, after a successful evaluation period. Cinefly is deeply committed to providing the best possible online viewing experience for customers, and Raystream is helping them do that -- while saving Cinefly a great deal of money in bandwidth costs,” said Raystream CEO Brian Petersen.

Raystream’s compression solution is effective for streaming HD video-on-demand (VOD), live streaming, and full HD 3D videos.

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]]>Andy DufraneWed, 22 Feb 2012 14:30:52 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3545-raystream-otcbb-rays-announces-contract-with-cinefly.aspxChico's (NYSE: CHS) quarterly profit beats estimateshttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3544-chicos-nyse-chs-quarterly-profit-beats-estimates.aspxPalm Beach, FL 2/22/12 (StreetBeat) -- Chico's FAS Inc (NYSE: CHS) reported a 21 percent rise in holiday quarter earnings that beat estimates, as strong demand for its pricier White House Black Market and Soma Intimates brands offset big discounts at its namesake division, sending its shares up 9 percent.

The retailer, which like Ann Inc caters to women over 35, has benefited from increased traffic after redoing its clothing line, and as a result, Chico's forecast strong sales trends for this year.

For the fiscal 2012, the Fort Myers, Florida-based retailer expects sales of about $2.5 billion, above market estimates.

Gross margins slid to 52.3 percent from 53.2 percent a year ago. However, that was a smaller slide than what the company had expected earlier.

In the fourth quarter that ended Jan. 28, Chico's earned $25.1 million, or 15 cents per share, compared with $20.7 million, or 12 cents per share, a year earlier.

Sales rose 20 percent to $569.2 million.

Analysts, on average, were expecting the company to earn 11 cents a share, on sales of 546.7 million, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Chico's shares were higher at $14 Wednesday in premarket trading from Tuesday's close of $12.81 on the New York Stock Exchange.

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]]>Andy DufraneWed, 22 Feb 2012 14:23:31 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3544-chicos-nyse-chs-quarterly-profit-beats-estimates.aspxUK Call to become a Leader in Wave and Tidal Power Moves Ocean Power Technologies (NASDAQ:OPTT) Stock Uphttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3543-uk-call-to-become-a-leader-in-wave-and-tidal-power-moves-ocean-power-technologies-nasdaqoptt-stock-up.aspxPalm Beach, FL 2/22/12 (StreetBeat) -- Investorideas.com, a leader in renewable energy stock research, releases a trading alert for wave technology stock Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:OPTT).

The stock is currently trading at 3.5708 0.3908(12.29%) with a high of $3.90 following a report from the UK entitled, Energy and Climate Change - Eleventh Report -The Future of Marine Renewables in the UK . The report, published by the House of Commons pushes for the UK to become a global leader in marine renewables.

According to the UK Parliament site, “The UK could become a leading exporter of wave and tidal power equipment and expertise if the Government adopts a more visionary approach to developing marine renewables, according to a new report by the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee.”

Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:OPTT)
Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. is a pioneer in wave-energy technology that harnesses ocean wave resources to generate reliable and clean and environmentally-beneficial electricity. OPT has a strong track record in the advancement of wave energy and participates in an estimated $150 billion annual power generation equipment market. OPT’s proprietary PowerBuoy® system is based on modular, ocean-going buoys that capture and convert predictable wave energy into clean electricity. The Company is widely recognized as a leading developer of on-grid and autonomous wave-energy generation systems, benefiting from 15 years of in-ocean experience. OPT is headquartered in Pennington, New Jersey, USA with an office in Warwick, UK. More information can be found at www.oceanpowertechnologies.com.

News link on UK report: http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/energy-and-climate-change-committee/news/marine-publication1/

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]]>Andy DufraneWed, 22 Feb 2012 14:06:31 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3543-uk-call-to-become-a-leader-in-wave-and-tidal-power-moves-ocean-power-technologies-nasdaqoptt-stock-up.aspx3 Things to Know Before Tradinghttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3542-3-things-to-know-before-trading.aspx
Northern,WI  2/23/2012 (Streetbeat)  --  Stocks were mixed in Asian trade, but the most of the main indexes rose. Shanghai and the Nikkei were both up about one percent, the Hang Seng added a third of a percent and Australia was unchanged. European indexes are generally lower this morning with the Dax down 0.7% and the Footsie lower by 0.3%. US stock futures are unchanged.

*The preliminary February reading of the Euro Zone’s manufacturing sector Purchasing Managers Index was up two tenths on the month to 49.0, a few tenths shy of the forecast. The service sector PMI fell one point in February to 49.4, a fraction gain had been expected.

*The preliminary February reading of Germany’s manufacturing sector PMI was down about one point on the month to 50.1, it had been forecast to increase a half point. The service sector PMI was down one point to 52.6, the estimate called for a fractional increase.

*The Bank of England voted 7 to 2 to raise their bond purchase target by BP 50 billion at their last meeting; two members, Posen and Miles, were in favor of a BP75 billion increase, according to the minutes from their last policy meeting.

*US mortgage applications were down 4.5% in the week ended February 17, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association; both main components, applications for purchase and refinancing, were down on the week.

*The weekly report on chain store sales from ICSC showed an increase of 3.0% on a week on week basis for the week ended February 18; sales are said to be up 3.2% from the corresponding week from a year ago. The Johnson Redbook report on the same thing is due out at 7:55am CST.

*The January reading of Existing Home Sales is due out at 9:00am CST. Sales are expected to be up 1.1% from the month before for an annualized rate of 4.66 million units.

*The Fed is scheduled to buy Treasuries today that are due to mature between 2/15/36 and 2/15/42; the results of the operation will be announced just after 10:00am CST.

*The Treasury plans to sell $35 billion 5 Year Notes today; the auction results will be announced just after noon CST.


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]]>Steve KanavalWed, 22 Feb 2012 13:52:58 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3542-3-things-to-know-before-trading.aspxHome Depot (NYSE: HD) shines as warm winter helps saleshttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3541-home-depot-nyse-hd-shines-as-warm-winter-helps-sales.aspxNorthern, WI 2/21/12 (StreetBeat) -- Strong demand for everything from paint to concrete helped Home Depot Inc (NYSE:HD) report better-than-expected quarterly sales and profit as one of the warmest U.S. winters on record encouraged homeowners to take up home projects earlier than usual.

The world's largest home improvement chain also gave a better-than expected profit forecast for the year, just days after a report showed U.S. homebuilder sentiment had risen in February to its highest level in more than four years.

That report raised hopes that the housing market was stabilizing.

Tuesday's news drove Home Depot shares to their highest level since May 2002 and made some analysts more optimistic about the retailer's prospects.

Credit Suisse analyst Gary Balter said the most important part of Home Depot's strong performance and earnings beat were that "they are occurring prior to any sustained housing recovery."

The company's earnings power will rise significantly once the housing market and the economy improve, Balter added.

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]]>Steve KanavalTue, 21 Feb 2012 17:31:08 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3541-home-depot-nyse-hd-shines-as-warm-winter-helps-sales.aspxWeatherford (NYSE: WFT) Plunges after Questioning its Own Accountinghttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3540-weatherford-nyse-wft-plunges-after-questioning-its-own-accounting.aspxNorthern, WI 2/21/12 (StreetBeat) -- Oil services company Weatherford International (NYSE: WFT) told investors not to rely on its prior financial statements because of lax internal controls, putting a damper on an otherwise mixed earnings report. Shares fell 12% early.

Weatherford, which has seen gains in the past few months as North American oil and gas production has picked up, posted revenue of $3.71 billion, above expectations for $3.58 billion. The company did not provide its after-tax EPS but one analyst calculated that it was a slight miss.

““Assuming a tax rate of 35% (2012 guidance), WFT would have reported Q4/11 EPS, below consensus/our estimate at $0.33/$0.35,” wrote Cannacord Genuity analyst Scott Burk.” As expected, artificial lift and improved Canadian results were drivers of better revenue for the quarter. . .We’d expect the stock to give back some of its approximately 10% YTD outperformance on this negative quarterly result.”

The company will have to restate prior earnings to take into account “roughly $225 million to $250 million of aggregate net adjustments to previously reported financial results for the years 2010 and prior relating to the correction of errors identified with respect to the company’s accounting for income taxes.”

Earlier this month, Barrons.com published a generally positive story about the company highlighting the company’s prospects given increasing spending on energy exploration.

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]]>Steve KanavalTue, 21 Feb 2012 16:52:17 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3540-weatherford-nyse-wft-plunges-after-questioning-its-own-accounting.aspxDaktronics (Nasdaq: DAKT) sees lower 4th-qtr sales, shares downhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3539-daktronics-nasdaq-dakt-sees-lower-4th-qtr-sales-shares-down.aspxTallahassee, FL 2/21/12 (StreetBeat) -- Electronic scoreboard and billboard maker Daktronics Inc (Nasdaq: DAKT) posted a profit that missed estimates for a third straight quarter, and warned of a decline in first-quarter sales as it failed to book enough business.

The company typically sees weak profits in its third quarter ending December but the wide margin of the earnings miss surprised investors, sending its shares down 10 percent in morning trade.

The company earned $1.7 million, or 4 cents per share, for the quarter, while analysts were looking for 7 cents a share.

"As a result of the lower order volume in the third quarter ... net sales could decline in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 compared to the third quarter of fiscal 2012, which would put pressure on our gross profit margins," said Chief Executive Jim Morgan.

The company said it expects fourth-quarter orders to be up on a year-over-year basis, and it would continue to cut costs to improve gross margins.

Operating expenses rose 14 percent in the third quarter.

Net income fell to $1.7 million, or 4 cents per share, from $1.8 million, or 4 cents per share, a year ago.

Net sales for the quarter rose to $123 million from $100 million a year ago.

Analysts, on average, were looking for third-quarter earnings of 7 cents per share on revenue of $117.4 million, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Shares of the company, were down more than a dollar at $10.17 on the Nasdaq.

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]]>Ashley MontgomeryTue, 21 Feb 2012 16:39:34 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3539-daktronics-nasdaq-dakt-sees-lower-4th-qtr-sales-shares-down.aspxGTx (Nasdaq: GTXI) takes hit with delay of Capesaris trials, greater net losshttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3538-gtx-nasdaq-gtxi-takes-hit-with-delay-of-capesaris-trials-greater-net-loss.aspxTallahassee, FL 2/21/12 (StreetBeat) -- Shortly after receiving news from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that clinical trials for its Capesaris drug would be put on hold, Memphis-based pharmaceutical company GTx Inc. (Nasdaq: GTXI) reported a net loss of $10.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2011, compared to a loss of $7.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2010.

Capesaris, which is used to treat prostate cancer, was in its Phase II clinical trial, was put on hold after the company reported an increase in blood clots in subjects participating in the trial. The FDA announced the hold on Feb. 17, according to a GTx statement.

GTx reported revenue of $14.7 million for year end 2011, a 75 percent decline from $60.6 million the company reported at the end of 2010. However, the company’s revenue was $1.8 million in the fourth quarters of 2011 and 2010, based on sales of the company’s breast cancer drug Fareston.

Annual revenue included $6.7 million in sales for Fareston and collaboration revenue from the company’s previous partnership with French drug company Ipsen, which brought in revenue of $8.1 million.

GTx continues to develop Ostarine, a drug that is used to treat non-small cell lung cancer. The company changed the drug’s name to Enobosarm as it continues Phase III trials. GTx has received encouraging news from early results from the trials, but doesn’t expect to report full results until early 2013.

In late January, Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) reported the early results, which caused the company’s stock price to increase nearly 50 percent to $5.88. Shares of the company’s stock are trading down about 35 percent to $3.78 Tuesday morning.

In a statement, Mitchell Steiner, CEO of GTx, said the company is still exploring “a path forward” to continue to develop Capesaris at lower doses.”

“We plan to work with the agency to design appropriate studies for these patient populations,” Steiner said.

“We are pleased with the progress of our clinical development program of Enobosarm, formerly known as Ostarine,” Steiner said. “Our discussions with lung cancer thought leaders and patient advocates confirm the need for a drug to prevent and treat muscle wasting in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.”

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]]>Ashley MontgomeryTue, 21 Feb 2012 16:27:00 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3538-gtx-nasdaq-gtxi-takes-hit-with-delay-of-capesaris-trials-greater-net-loss.aspxGreenHunter Water (AMEX: GRH) Significant Acquisition of Appalachian Commercial Water Disposal Facilitieshttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3537-greenhunter-water-amex-grh-significant-acquisition-of-appalachian-commercial-water-disposal-facilities.aspxPalm Beach, FL 2/21/12 (StreetBeat) -- GreenHunter Energy, Inc. (Amex: GRH), a diversified renewable energy company predominately focused on water resource management in the unconventional oil and gas shale resource plays, announced today that its wholly owned subsidiary, GreenHunter Water, LLC, has closed on the acquisition of 100% of the ownership interest of three fully operational commercial salt water disposal (SWD) wells and associated facilities located in Washington County, Ohio and Lee County, Kentucky. The total purchase price for this acquisition was approximately $8.8 Million. The consideration paid included a combination of cash, GreenHunter Energy restricted stock, GreenHunter Energy perpetual preferred stock, and a promissory note due to the Seller.

The assets acquired also included a fleet of nine (9) water hauling vacuum trucks, and 37 frac tanks (500 barrel capacity each). Total current salt water disposal capacity is 9,000 barrels per day (BBL/D), of which 6,000 BBL/D is from two wells located in Ohio and approximately 3,000 BBL/D is from one well located in Kentucky. Due to the strong demand for SWD services in the Marcellus and the evolving Utica Shale plays, utilization rates at the Ohio facility have been at or near 100% capacity for the last several months. Nearly all of the daily capacity in Ohio has been reserved under multiple disposal capacity contracts with major oil & gas companies and large independents active in the region - these capacity contracts also typically contain rights for Hunter Disposal to provide fluid transportation trucking on a first-call basis. Management is presently exploring various options to increase usage at the Kentucky facility by leveraging a combination of truck hauling and barge logistics.

Annual revenues from this acquisition are currently estimated to be approximately $15 million including disposal, hauling and water tank rental. In addition to the current employees, GreenHunter anticipates the creation of up to 40 new service industry jobs. These jobs will be created through a growth plan which includes the expansion of its existing truck fleet, expansion of its Total Water Management Solutions™ services portfolio within the current customer base, and the expansion of the Company’s MAG Tank™, Frac-Cycle™ and RAMCAT™ product lines.

Commenting on the acquisition, Jonathan D. Hoopes, GreenHunter President and COO, stated, “We have been working on this transaction since April of last year. This acquisition accelerates our growth plan and puts us on track to achieve 12,500 BBL/D total injection capacity in the Marcellus and Utica Shale plays by the end of 2012. We look forward to integrating these newly acquired properties, personnel, and established customer relationships into our existing Appalachian operations. We plan to continue our expansion activities specifically in these fast growing unconventional resource plays and hope to announce new transactions in the Eagle Ford and Bakken regions in the near future.”

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]]>Andy DufraneTue, 21 Feb 2012 16:13:45 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3537-greenhunter-water-amex-grh-significant-acquisition-of-appalachian-commercial-water-disposal-facilities.aspxThreshold (Nasdaq: THLD) Drug Delays Pancreatic Cancer, Trading +80%http://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3536-threshold-nasdaq-thld-drug-delays-pancreatic-cancer-trading-80.aspxPalm Beach, FL 2/21/12 (StreetBeat) -- Treatment with Threshold Pharmaceuticals' (Nasdaq: THLD) TH-302 helped patients with advanced pancreatic cancer extended by two months the time before their disease worsened, according to results of a phase II study released Monday.

Shares of Threshold were up 57% to $5.55 in Tuesday pre-market trading. The stock closed Friday at $3.53 per share.

Threshold is developing TH-302 in a partnership signed recently with the German pharmaceutical company Merck KGaA. A phase III study of TH-302 in advanced soft-tissue sarcoma is underway.

In the phase II study announced Monday, 214 patients with first-line advanced pancreatic cancer were randomized to treatment with either a low or high dose of TH-302 plus the gemcitabine or gemcitabine alone.

Patients in the two TH-302 arms of the study went 5.6 months before their disease worsened compared to 3.6 months for patients treated with gemcitabine alone -- or a two-month difference in progression-free survival favoring TH-302, Threshold reported.

Stated differently, treatment with TH-302 plus gemcitabine reduced the risk of pancreatic cancer worsening by 39% compared to gemcitabine alone. This result -- the primary endpoint of the phase II study -- was statistically significant. Patients treated with the high dose of TH-302 reported greater efficacy than those in in the low-dose arm, Threshold said, without providing details.

Significant tumor shrinkage was reported by 22% of patients treated with TH-302 plus gemcitabine compared to 12% for patients treated with gemcitabine alone.

Gemcitabine has long been used by itself to treat pancreatic cancer but efforts to add other drugs in combination have largely failed to demonstrate any significant benefit for patients. [The one notable exception is the combination of Eli Lilly's (NYSE: LLY) Tarceva plus gemcitabine.]

Last year, a triple combination of chemotherapy agents -- gemcitabine, oxaliplatin and irinotecan known as FOLFIRINOX -- demonstrated overall survival in pancreatic cancer of 11.1 months compared to 6.8 months for gemcitabine alone and a progression-free survival benefit of 6.4 months vs. 3.3 months. However, the FOLFIRINOX survival benefit came at the cost of significant and serious side effects for patients.

Threshold said the TH-302-gemcitabine combination was well tolerated with chief side effects being skin and mucosal toxicities. Further details were withheld for presentation at a future medical meeting.

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]]>Andy DufraneTue, 21 Feb 2012 16:03:42 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3536-threshold-nasdaq-thld-drug-delays-pancreatic-cancer-trading-80.aspxApple (Nasdaq: AAPL) has huge solar plans at N.C. data centerhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3535-apple-nasdaq-aapl-has-huge-solar-plans-at-nc-data-center.aspxOrlando, FL 2/21/12 (StreetBeat) -- Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) said on Monday that it plans to power its massive data center in North Carolina with equally massive solar and fuel-cell installations.

The company said the solar array, expected to cover much of 100 acres, will be the biggest end-user-owned installation in the country. Its capacity is estimated at 20 megawatts, supplying 42 million kilowatt-hours of solar power annually.

The fuel-cell installation is estimated at 5 megawatts and will be fueled by biogas. Two likely suppliers of the fuel cells are Bloom Energy or FuelCell Energy (Nasdaq: FCEL).

Apple has already spent an estimated $1 billion to build the 500,000-square-foot data center in Maiden, N.C., which plays a major role in its iCloud storage and sync service and its Siri voice-activated personal assistant.

The fact that the company planned to build a large solar farm next to the data center has been known since last year but the exact size hadn't been revealed until Apple issued an environmental report on Monday, along with a facilities report.

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]]>Janice MeehanTue, 21 Feb 2012 15:51:48 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3535-apple-nasdaq-aapl-has-huge-solar-plans-at-nc-data-center.aspxFortis (TSX: FTS) to Buy CH Energy (NYSE: CHG) for $1 Billionhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3534-fortis-tsx-fts-to-buy-ch-energy-nyse-chg-for-1-billion.aspxOrlando, FL 2/21/12 (StreetBeat) -- The Canadian utility Fortis (TSX: FTS) agreed on Tuesday to buy the CH Energy Group (NYSE: CHG) in an all-cash deal valued at $1 billion as part of its expansion into the United States.

Fortis said it was offering CH Energy’s shareholders $65 for each of their shares, 10.5 percent above the company’s closing share price on Friday. Fortis will also assume $500 million of CH Energy’s outstanding debt upon completion of the acquisition, according to a company statement.

The deal, which is expected to close by early next year, will give Fortis control over a regulated energy transmission and distribution business with 375,000 customers in eight counties of New York State’s Mid-Hudson River Valley, the company added. It would also allow the utility to enter the regulated electric and natural gas distribution markets in the United States, which set maximum prices that companies can charge customers.

“CH Energy Group’s regulated utility operations in New York State are similar to our regulated utility operations in Canada,” the Fortis chief executive, H. Stanley Marshall, said in a statement. “CH Energy Group will be able to avail itself of the operational, regulatory and financial expertise existent throughout Fortis.”

No layoffs are expected from the acquisition, which must still be approved by CH Energy’s shareholders, the New York State Public Service Commission and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Fortis, based in St. John’s, Newfoundland, said the transaction would immediately bolster earnings, excluding one-time expenses.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch and the law firm White & Case advised Fortis on the deal. The investment adviser Lazard and the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz advised CH Energy.

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]]>Janice MeehanTue, 21 Feb 2012 15:43:24 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3534-fortis-tsx-fts-to-buy-ch-energy-nyse-chg-for-1-billion.aspxHoliday spending pushes Macy's (NYSE: M) 4Q profit higherhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3533-holiday-spending-pushes-macys-nyse-m-4q-profit-higher.aspxOrlando, FL 2/21/12 (StreetBeat) -- Macy's Inc. (NYSE: M) said strong holiday and online sales helped push its fiscal fourth-quarter net income up 12 percent. The department store chain's results topped Wall Street's expectations and its stock climbed in trading before the market open.

Macy's, which runs Bloomingdale's and its namesake stores, is reaping the benefit of tailoring merchandise to local markets. It has been outperforming mid-price peers such as Kohl's Inc. and J.C. Penney Co (NYSE: JCP).

"Our year was punctuated with a terrific holiday selling season as our customers responded to our assortment of most-wanted merchandise for gifts and self-purchase, as well as compelling marketing campaigns," Chairman, President and CEO Terry Lundgren said in a statement.

Macy's stock added $1.19, or 3.3 percent, to $37.44 Tuesday morning.

Macy's earned $745 million, or $1.74 per share, for the period ended Jan 28. A year ago it earned $667 million, or $1.55 per share.

Excluding gains from the sale of store leases related to the 2006 sale of Lord & Taylor and expenses tied to some store closings, earnings were $1.70 per share.

Revenue rose 5.5 percent to $8.72 billion from $8.27 billion. Online sales, which include results from both the Macy's and Bloomingdale's web sites, jumped 40 percent.

Revenue at stores open at least a year, which includes online sales, climbed 5.2 percent. This figure is a key indicator of a retailer's health because it excludes results from stores recently opened or closed.

The quarterly results topped the expectations of analysts polled by FactSet, who predicted earnings of $1.65 per share on revenue of $8.7 billion.

For the year, Macy's earned $1.26 billion, or $2.92 per share. That compares with earnings of $847 million, or $1.98 per share, in the previous year. Adjusted earnings were $2.88 per share.

Full-year revenue increased 5.6 percent to $26.41 billion from $25 billion. Online sales rose nearly 40 percent.

Revenue at stores open at least a year increased 5.3 percent.

The company, which has corporate offices in Cincinnati and New York, expects fiscal 2012 earnings of $3.25 to $3.30 per share. Wall Street predicts $3.27 per share.

Macy's also anticipates its online sales will surpass $2 billion in 2012 and that revenue at stores open at least a year will climb about 3.5 percent.

Macy's has about 840 department stores in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico.

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]]>Steve KanavalTue, 21 Feb 2012 15:36:00 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3533-holiday-spending-pushes-macys-nyse-m-4q-profit-higher.aspx3 Things To Know Before Tradinghttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3532-3-things-to-know-before-trading.aspxOrlando, FL 2/21/12 (StreetBeat) -- Stocks were mixed in Asian trade. Australia was up 0.8%, Shanghai added three quarters of a percent and the Hang Seng was up one quarter of a percent, but the Nikkei was down a quarter percent on the session. European indexes are broadly lower this morning with the Dax down about 0.8% and the Footsie off by 0.4%. US stock futures are up a slight fraction as I write.

*Over the weekend China’s central bank lowered the reserve ratio requirement for its banks by 0.50%; the last cut in the reserve ratio took effect December 5, 2011. For most of the large banks in China the reserve ratio requirement will decline to 20.5% because of this move.

*The Eurogroup and Greece have agreed to a deal. The bailout package will be for EU130 billion, with conditions including an escrow account for the money and a Troika presence in Athens. They say the deal will bring Greece’s debt to GDP ratio to 120.5% by 2020. The private sector involvement (PSI) has yet to be agreed to, though the bondholders voluntary agreement would be a 53.5% haircut and a lowering of the interest rate that Greece has to pay, but they say talks may restart later this week.

*As an aside, EU Commissioner Rehn says there are no current plans to ease Portugal’s bailout conditions.

*The Fed is scheduled to sell Treasuries today that are due to mature between 12/15/12 and 5/31/13; the results of the operation will be announced just after 10:00am CST.

*The Treasury plans to sell $35 billion 2 Year Notes today; the auction results will be announced just after noon CST.

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]]>Janice MeehanTue, 21 Feb 2012 15:15:01 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3532-3-things-to-know-before-trading.aspxSunPower (Nasdaq: SPWR) Jumps Most in Nine Months After Profit Beat Analyst Estimateshttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3518-sunpower-nasdaq-spwr-jumps-most-in-nine-months-after-profit-beat-analyst-estimates.aspxTallahassee, FL 2/17/12 (StreetBeat) -- SunPower Corp. (Nasdaq: SPWR), a solar panel company majority-owned by Total SA, rose as much as 24 percent after reporting better-than-estimated earnings.

SunPower climbed as much as $1.83 to $9.31, the highest in nine months, at 10:01 a.m. in New York and has gained 49 percent this year.

Fourth-quarter profit was an adjusted 16 cents a share on sales of $563.4 million, San Jose, California-based SunPower said yesterday in a statement. Analysts had expected a loss of 6 cents, the average of 13 estimates compiled by Bloomberg. SunPower said 2012 sales will be in line with previous guidance of $2.6 billion to $3 billion.

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]]>Ashley MontgomeryFri, 17 Feb 2012 16:42:29 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3518-sunpower-nasdaq-spwr-jumps-most-in-nine-months-after-profit-beat-analyst-estimates.aspx3 Things to Know Before Tradinghttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3515-3-things-to-know-before-trading.aspx
Northern, WI 2/17/2012  (Streetbeat)  --  Stocks were mostly higher in Asian trade. The Nikkei was among the best with a gain of one and a half percent, the Hang Seng rose one percent and Australia was up a third of a percent, but Shanghai was unchanged. European indexes are broadly higher with the Dax up 1.4% and the Footsie better by a half percent. US stock futures are up a slight fraction.

*The January reading of Germany’s Producer Price Index was up 0.6% on the month, twice the expected increase.

*Greece debt swap deal on Monday; could be, it’s possible, might happen…stay tuned.

*The January reading of UK Retail Sales was surprisingly strong at +0.9% month on month, a decline of 0.3% was the estimate.

*The January reading of the Consumer Price Index is due out at 7:30am CST. The headline CPI is expected to be +0.3% on a month on month basis and the estimate for the Core CPI is +0.2% on the month. The annualized CPI rates are forecast to be +2.8% and +2.2% respectively. The January reading of the Leading Economic Indicators is due out at 9:00am CST, it is expected to be +0.5%.

*The Fed is scheduled to buy Treasuries today that are due to mature between 2/28/18 and 2/15/20; the results of the operation will be announced just after 10:00am CST.

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]]>Steve KanavalFri, 17 Feb 2012 16:28:36 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3515-3-things-to-know-before-trading.aspxMWW Automotive (PK: MWWC) Commences Production on 2012 and 2013 ROUSH Mustangshttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3514-mww-automotive-pk-mwwc-commences-production-on-2012-and-2013-roush-mustangs.aspxNorthern, WI 2/16/12 (StreetBeat) – MWW Automotive Group (PinkSheets: MWWC), a global design, engineering, and manufacturing firm serving the world's leading automotive and industrial manufacturers, announced today that it has entered into a long-term production agreement with ROUSH Performance Products for the Class A painting of automotive components designed and manufactured by ROUSH.

After weeks of review for the certification of MWW's Colortek Class A painting facility and finished product quality evaluation by ROUSH technical teams, ROUSH Performance Products has decided to award their production painting to MWW Automotive. The first projects have been approved and have launched, with production beginning immediately. These are the 2012 and 2013 ROUSH Ford Mustangs. Included in the packages are Front Fascia Systems, Hood Scoops, Rear Spoilers and Window Louvers.

Chuck Pinkerton, CEO of MWW Automotive, states: "It has been a pleasure working with the ROUSH technical and management teams during the intensive certification process. We are proud that our high product quality and leading edge production technology has been recognized by such an established firm as ROUSH. The complexity and size of the required production runs falls squarely into MWW's core competency and production capacity and we will begin production for ROUSH immediately. This is an exceptional opportunity for us and we are fully committed to exceed our client's expectations in order to manifest this exclusive relationship for many years to come. We are looking forward to a long and beneficial relationship for both companies."

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]]>Steve KanavalThu, 16 Feb 2012 18:08:31 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3514-mww-automotive-pk-mwwc-commences-production-on-2012-and-2013-roush-mustangs.aspxXcelMobility (OTCBB: XCLL) Completes First Phase of Major Order for ZTE Corp.http://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3513-xcelmobility-otcbb-xcll-completes-first-phase-of-major-order-for-zte-corp.aspxNorthern, WI 2/16/12 (StreetBeat) – XcelMobility Inc. (OTCBB: XCLL) ("Xcel" or the "Company"), a developer of high speed web browsing solutions and related performance enhancing products for mobile devices, is pleased to announce that pursuant to its licensing agreement with ZTE Corporation ("ZTE"), the first 20,000 high speed USB modems have been manufactured and readied for shipment to China Unicom retail locations across the country.

ZTE (www.zte.com.cn/en) manufactures the devices for China Unicom, the second largest mobility provider in China with over 340 million customers. Should initial trials prove successful as anticipated, ZTE has projected that in future up to 30 million units per year could be installed with the Mach 5 Xcelerator.

ZTE was founded in 1985 and is a leading global provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions positioning it as China's largest publicly listed telecom equipment company. ZTE has the industry's most comprehensive product range of end-to-end solutions covering virtually every telecommunications sector including wireless, access & bearer, VAS, terminals and professional services. The company's expertise in these areas allows it to satisfy the demands of global operators and assist them in their pursuit of innovation. ZTE delivers its high-quality, cost-effective products and services to over 500 operators in more than 140 countries around the globe.

Xcel CEO, Ryan Ge, comments, "This marks a great achievement for XcelMobility. Not only has our Mach 5 product undergone and passed the scrutiny of one of the world's largest telecom equipment manufacturers as well as of the world's largest cellular carriers, our products are now on the verge of mass commercialization. This proves that not only are our products technically sound but they will also be able to generate the Company significant revenue."

As part of the Company's continuous public disclosure as a reporting issuer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, further details of the Company's business, finances, appointments and agreements are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission's ("SEC") EDGAR database. For more information and to view a corporate video please visit: www.xcelmobility.com.

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]]>Steve KanavalThu, 16 Feb 2012 18:01:01 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3513-xcelmobility-otcbb-xcll-completes-first-phase-of-major-order-for-zte-corp.aspxAmerican Airlines' AMR Corp (PK: AAMRQ) posts $1.1 billion 4Q losshttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3512-american-airlines-amr-corp-pk-aamrq-posts-11-billion-4q-loss.aspxNorthern, WI 2/16/12 (StreetBeat) – AMR Corp. (PinkSheets: AAMRQ), the parent of American Airlines, said Wednesday that it lost $1.1 billion in the fourth quarter as it wrote down the value of planes and other property and paid more for jet fuel.

The company, which filed for bankruptcy protection in November, said that the results compared with a loss of $97 million a year earlier, when AMR still hoped to avoid bankruptcy by cutting costs.

The most recent loss included $768 million in special items, including $725 million from write-downs of aircraft that the company had announced two weeks ago. It also took a $43 million hit as it changed assumptions on recognition of revenue in its frequent-flier program.

Excluding special items, AMR said it would have lost $209 million, compared to an after-items loss of $69 million a year ago.

American is the nation's third-biggest airline, and it has presented a business-as-usual face since becoming the latest in a long string of U.S. airlines to file for bankruptcy protection. Even though it is still losing money, the airline is benefiting from higher ticket prices and decent demand for travel.

AMR said fourth-quarter revenue rose 7.4 percent to $6 billion. Analysts expected $5.89 billion, according to FactSet.

The amount of revenue for every mile flown by one seat, a closely watched measure in the airline industry, rose 8.9 percent, a reflection of the higher fares.

But costs have also mounted, especially for fuel, which accounts for about one-third of an airline's budget.

AMR paid about $3.01 per gallon for jet fuel, up from $2.42 per gallon a year earlier, for an increase of 24.5 percent. The company said it spent $394 million more on fuel than it would have at last year's prices.

For the full year, the company posted a net loss of $2 billion, compared with a loss of $471 million in 2010. Revenue rose to $23.98 billion from $22.17 billion.

AMR, American and affiliate American Eagle filed for bankruptcy protection Nov. 29. Company management proposes to slash annual costs by $2 billion through steps including eliminating 13,000 jobs and terminating pension plans for 130,000 current and former workers. It says it can boost revenue by $1 billion per year with additional flights in key markets and better services.

The company's shares no longer trade on the New York Stock Exchange, and it decided to drop the conference call with analysts that typically goes with a quarterly earnings report.

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]]>Steve KanavalThu, 16 Feb 2012 17:49:15 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3512-american-airlines-amr-corp-pk-aamrq-posts-11-billion-4q-loss.aspxAncestry.com (Nasdaq: ACOM) sinks on slower subscriber growth forecasthttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3511-ancestrycom-nasdaq-acom-sinks-on-slower-subscriber-growth-forecast.aspxNorthern, WI 2/16/12 (StreetBeat) – Shares of Ancestry.com Inc (Nasdaq: ACOM) slumped 19 percent on Thursday, making them among the biggest percentage losers on the Nasdaq, after the company forecast slower growth in subscriber additions for 2012, its second consecutive year of decline.

The company, which operates a website that allows people to trace their family roots by scouring online records, expects to end 2012 with 12.4 percent to 14.5 percent more subscribers than 2011 end.

It grew subscribers by 22 percent in 2011 and 31 percent the year before. Fourth-quarter average monthly revenue per subscriber dropped sequentially by 30 cents to $18.38.

BMO Capital markets said lower ratings on the early episodes of the third season of NBC's "Who Do You Think You Are," for which Ancestry provides research and brings in ads, have put pressure on the stock.

The celebrity genealogy show's first two episodes this season, featuring actors Martin Sheen and Marisa Tomei, recorded an average of 5.8 million viewers. This was 17 percent lower from the first two episodes of season 2 that aired last year, the brokerage said.

"We believe the diminished impact of the show...will be partially offset by a longer season this year," BMO said in a research note and maintained its "outperform" rating on the stock.

Ancestry.com shares fell to $23.06, their lowest since January 4, after which they had received a boost when Ancestry came out with a strong revenue outlook for 2012.

More than 2 million shares changed hands by 10.35 ET, nearly twice their normal volumes.

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]]>Steve KanavalThu, 16 Feb 2012 17:22:00 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3511-ancestrycom-nasdaq-acom-sinks-on-slower-subscriber-growth-forecast.aspxTRW Automotive (NYSE: TRW) Advances as Profit Increases on Auto-Production Rebound: Detroit Moverhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3510-trw-automotive-nyse-trw-advances-as-profit-increases-on-auto-production-rebound-detroit-mover.aspxTallahassee, FL 2/16/12 (StreetBeat) – TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. (NYSE: TRW), the world’s biggest vehicle-safety equipment supplier, rose the most in more than two years after topping analysts’ profit estimates, boosted by increased auto production in North America and demand for its safety products.

TRW climbed as much 14 percent, the biggest intraday gain since November 2009. The shares rose to $47.25 at 10:36 a.m. New York time. Before today, TRW had risen 27 percent this year after sliding 38 percent in 2011.

Fourth-quarter profit rose to $425 million, or $3.27 a share, from $204 million, or $1.56, Livonia, Michigan-based TRW said today in a statement. Excluding some items, profit was $1.84 a share. The average of seven analysts’ estimates in a Bloomberg survey was for a profit of $1.55.

Sales in the quarter increased 7.4 percent to $3.99 billion, compared with $3.96 billion, the average of six estimates in a Bloomberg survey.

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]]>Ashley MontgomeryThu, 16 Feb 2012 16:40:25 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3510-trw-automotive-nyse-trw-advances-as-profit-increases-on-auto-production-rebound-detroit-mover.aspxBioDelivery Sciences (Nasdaq: BDSI) Receives Patent Allowance Triggering $15 Million Milestonehttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3509-biodelivery-sciences-nasdaq-bdsi-receives-patent-allowance-triggering-15-million-milestone.aspxTallahassee, FL 2/16/12 (StreetBeat) – BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc. (Nasdaq: BDSI) announced the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued a Notice of Allowance of BDSI's patent application (No. 13/184306) that, once formally granted, will extend the exclusivity of the BioErodible MucoAdhesive (BEMA) drug delivery technology for BEMA Buprenorphine and BEMA Buprenorphine/Naloxone from 2020 to 2027.

A Notice of Allowance is issued when the USPTO has determined to grant a patent. Once the issue fee is paid, the final granting of the patent takes place, typically within a few months.

As a part of BDSI's recently signed BEMA Buprenorphine licensing and development agreement with Endo Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ENDP), BDSI is entitled to a milestone payment in the amount of $15 million upon the final granting of this patent.

"We are very pleased by the allowance of this patent application by the USPTO, that will not only provide non-dilutive capital to BDSI in the next couple months, but importantly extends the period of exclusivity, and thus the potential for a longer royalty stream, for BEMA Buprenorphine in its use for treating chronic pain following FDA approval and commercial launch," stated Dr. Mark A. Sirgo, President and Chief Executive Officer of BDSI. "It is an added benefit that this patent upon granting will afford similar protection to BEMA Buprenorphine/Naloxone for the treatment of opioid dependence."

"Endo is committed to serving as an integrated solutions provider for the development and commercialization of products focused on the management of pain," said Dr. Ivan Gergel, M.D., executive vice president, R&D and chief scientific officer, Endo Pharmaceuticals. "And the allowance of the patent application is an exciting step in continuing Endo's tradition of novel product development in the field of pain management."

BDSI expects the final granting of the patent and associated payment of the $15 million milestone within the next few months.

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]]>Ashley MontgomeryThu, 16 Feb 2012 16:20:10 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3509-biodelivery-sciences-nasdaq-bdsi-receives-patent-allowance-triggering-15-million-milestone.aspxGeneral Motors (NYSE: GM) Earns Record $9.19B Profit; Opel Posts Losshttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3508-general-motors-nyse-gm-earns-record-919b-profit-opel-posts-loss.aspxPalm Beach, FL 2/16/12 (StreetBeat) – General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM), which regained the global auto sales lead, earned $9.19 billion last year, the largest profit in its 103-year-history, while its European business again lost money.

Fourth-quarter net income attributable to stockholders slid 48 percent to $725 million, the lowest in two years. GM had earned more than $2 billion in each of the three previous quarters. Profit in the fourth quarter fell 25 percent to 39 cents a share, trailing the 41-cent average estimate of 17 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.

GM North America earnings before interest and taxes more than tripled for the year to $7.19 billion on improved U.S. sales. The automaker’s Europe business, including the Opel brand, lost $747 million for the year. While that’s better than Europe’s restated $1.95 billion loss in 2010, it’s not break- even as GM had planned until November.

“GM’s results in Europe certainly dampen the positive results in the U.S. but you have to still say they had a really good year,” Rebecca Lindland, an industry analyst with IHS Automotive, said before the results were released. Before a government-backed bankruptcy in 2009, “they were making record losses, so they’ve made a tremendous amount of progress.”

GM global sales rose 7.6 percent last year to 9.03 million to outsellToyota Motor Corp. (7203) as the world’s top-selling automaker. GM lost the sales crown in 2008 to Toyota. The shares rose 4.1 percent to $25.95 at 10:18 a.m. New York time.

‘Growth Story’

GM’s full-year profit in 2010 of $6.17 billion had been the automaker’s largest annual income since its predecessor earned $6.7 billion in 1997, excluding profit in 2009 to account for its post-bankruptcy recapitalization.

“This in my mind for the next couple years is a true growth story with some hiccups along the way in Europe, but tell me anyone who’s not facing issues in Europe,” Sarat Sethi, a New York-based portfolio manager at Douglas C. Lane & Associates, said in a Bloomberg Television interview.

“We clearly have work to do in Europe,” Chief Financial Officer Dan Ammann told reporters at GM’s headquarters in Detroit. “We have work to do in the South America business. Frankly we have work to do all around the company in terms of cost opportunities.”

Profit Sharing

GM announced it will pay profit-sharing bonuses of as much as $7,000 to 47,500 eligible UAW members under a formula negotiated last year as part of a four-year labor contract. A year ago, the automaker paid a record $4,300 on average to U.S. union workers. U.S. salaried workers’ bonus payout will decrease to 86 percent of the target for 2011 from 145 percent a year earlier, Katie McBride, a GM spokeswoman, said in a telephone interview.

Chief Executive Officer Dan Akerson wants to reduce costs to improve GM’s EBIT margin, which lags behind that of Ford Motor Co. (F), Volkswagen AG (VOW) and Hyundai Motor Co.

Revenue in the fourth quarter increased to $38 billion from $36.9 billion a year earlier, the company said. For 2011, revenue increased to $150.3 billion from $135.6 billion.

GM boosted U.S. sales last year by 13 percent while reducing incentive spending per vehicle by 5.1 percent to $3,223, according to researcher Autodata Corp., based in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

Problems in Europe

“You’ve got a great turnaround going on in the United States that’ll continue to get better, especially in 2013,” David Whiston, an analyst with Morningstar Inc. in Chicago, said. “I’ve been telling clients 2012, still think of it as a transition year for the new GM to get totally up to speed, because they still have holes in their product lineup, most notably full-size pickups.”

In Europe, where GM hasn’t recorded an annual profit for more than a decade, the average of the industry analysts’ estimates was for the fourth-quarter loss to increase to $358 million from a deficit of $292 million in the third quarter.

GM Europe lost $562 million in the fourth quarter, little changed from a loss of $568 million a year earlier. Last quarter’s loss included about $200 million in restructuring costs that weren’t reflected in the estimates.

“The industry is over capacity,” Ammann said of Europe. GM is working on “the pieces of our business that we can control, working with all of our partners to get to the right answer overall.”

‘Drives Me Crazy’

GM, to improve capacity utilization in Europe, should reconsider plans to import Opel and Vauxhall vehicles to the region, Wolfgang Schaefer-Klug, chairman of the German Group Works Council, said today in a statement.

“The expansion and refreshment of the Opel product line up offers a good starting point,” Schaefer-Klug said.

Ammann declined to say whether Europe will break even this year.

“The thing about Europe that drives me crazy is I just don’t see it getting better anytime soon,” Whiston said. “You either need sales to pick up really, really strong. Or you need to fire a lot of people and close plants.”

GM’s international operations, which include China, earned $373 million in the fourth quarter while the South America business lost $225 million, the company said.

While GM shares have risen 23 percent this year through yesterday, they remain below the $33 level of the automaker’s 2010 initial public offering. With a market capitalization of $39 billion through yesterday, GM traded at 6.13 times earnings, less than half the 14 times earnings that investors pay for the S&P 500 Index.

Uncertainty Ahead

The U.S. Treasury Department sold 28 percent of GM in the IPO, and it still holds 32 percent of the Detroit automaker’s shares, acquired as part of the Obama administration’s $50 billion bailout. The U.S. wants to sell for at least the IPO price, people familiar with the matter have said.

“GM is caught between what they don’t know and what they should not promise,” Adam Jonas, an industry analyst with Morgan Stanley, wrote in a note to investors yesterday.

While Ford is targeting a little changed profit for this year with improvements in North America, he said, “GM would have a difficult time promising the same given the restructuring efforts in Europe, the disruption of the truck changeover and pension headwinds.”

GM’s global pension plans were underfunded by $24.5 billion, an increase from $22.2 billion at the end of 2010, the company said today.

Pension Changes

The company decreased the discount rate it uses to calculate the present value of future cash flows, which hurt the funded status by $8.4 billion.

The pension plans achieved 11 percent asset returns, exceeding the company’s 8 percent target. Pension expense in 2012 will be “unfavorable” because GM is lowering its expectation for returns to 6.2 percent as it allocates more assets to fixed-income investments, Ammann told reporters.

Cindy Brinkley, GM vice president for global human resources, yesterday said 19,000 U.S. salaried workers who were hired prior to 2001 were being moved from defined benefit pension plans to defined contribution 401(k)s on Oct. 1.

Those workers will stop accruing fixed retirement benefits on Sept. 30 and begin receiving defined contributions to 401(k) programs, she said.

U.S. salaried workers won’t get across-the-board salary increases this year while the automaker will offer bonuses, Brinkley said in a conference call with reporters. GM’s U.S. salaried workers haven’t had an across the board pay increase since February 2010.

GM is considering initiatives beyond the changes it made to salaried workers’ pension plans to improve the funded status, Ammann said today.

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]]>Andy DufraneThu, 16 Feb 2012 16:09:12 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3508-general-motors-nyse-gm-earns-record-919b-profit-opel-posts-loss.aspxAdvance America (NYSE: AEA) Shares Skyrocketed: What You Need to Knowhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3507-advance-america-nyse-aea-shares-skyrocketed-what-you-need-to-know.aspxOrlando, FL 2/16/12 (StreetBeat) -- Shares of Advance America (NYSE: AEA) surged a whopping 33% on Thursday after Mexican company Grupo Elektra, owned by billionaire television mogul Ricardo Salinas, said it would acquire the payday lender for $656 million.

So what: The all-cash deal values Advance America at $10.50 per share and represents a 33% premium to its Wednesday closing price. The move also marks Elektra's first investment in the U.S. financial services market, putting Salinas under the eye of U.S. regulators who've recently been focusing on the payday lending space.

Now what: When you make 30%-plus in one morning, taking at least some dough off the table seems like the prudent thing to do. The deal is still subject to regulatory and shareholder approval, after all, so Advance America investors shouldn't wait too long to book some of those juicy gains. While Advance America may now solicit competing bids for a 45-day "go-shop" period, holding out for a dramatically better offer seems a tad risky.

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]]>Andy DufraneThu, 16 Feb 2012 16:01:19 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3507-advance-america-nyse-aea-shares-skyrocketed-what-you-need-to-know.aspxPuraMed BioScience® (OTCBB: PMBS) Reports Increased Revenue From Sales of LipiGesic® Mhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3506-puramed-bioscience-otcbb-pmbs-reports-increased-revenue-from-sales-of-lipigesic-m.aspxOrlando, FL 2/16/12 (StreetBeat) -- PuraMed BioScience®, Inc. (OTCBB: PMBS), the producer of over-the-counter medicinal and healthcare products, announced today its financial results for the second quarter ended December 31, 2011 in conjunction with the publication of its quarterly 10Q SEC filing.

PuraMed BioScience reported net revenues for the three months ended December 31, 2011 of $608,676 compared to $1,869 for the same three month period ended December 31, 2010. The increase in revenue was primarily generated from initial orders of their unique, non-prescription migraine product, LipiGesic® M, by Walgreens, the #1 drug-store chain in the country.

For this same period, PuraMed BioScience also reported gross profits of $490,581 compared to $1,116 for the same three month period ended December 31, 2010. As a result of the rapid expansion into 15,000 stores and the associated increased advertising costs, the Company had a negative working capital (current assets minus current liabilities), as of December 31, 2011. The Company is actively seeking additional capital to accomplish its planned business strategy and support its projected expenses.

"The revenue received from the successful roll-out of our product at national retail drug stores will play a key role in fulfilling our capital needs," said Sue Baacke, CFO of PuraMed BioScience. "The earnings demonstrated during the last quarter of 2011, indicate the Company's ability to satisfy operating expenses associated with the roll-out of LipiGesic M. As liabilities are addressed, we will continue to build equity for our shareholders as we expand the market presence of LipiGesic M."

According to PuraMed BioScience CEO Russell Mitchell, "This quarter represents an important milestone for PuraMed as it is the first quarter which we were able to successfully show income from operations. It should be noted that this quarter only reflects initial revenue from Walgreens and we anticipate experiencing continued growth of revenue with the addition of CVS and additional retail opportunities worldwide."

LipiGesic M is a clinically tested homeopathic medication that has been shown to be highly effective and safe as a treatment formigraines. This sublingual formulation is now available as an over-the-counter product in major retail drug stores nationwide.

Mitchell added, "LipiGesic M's presence on retail shelves will also help fill the void left by recent OTC migraine medication recalls. We remain confident that continued execution of our business strategy to generate an increase of sales will result in increased value for our shareholders."

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]]>Janice MeehanThu, 16 Feb 2012 14:56:58 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3506-puramed-bioscience-otcbb-pmbs-reports-increased-revenue-from-sales-of-lipigesic-m.aspxEnergy Focus, Inc.'s (OTCBB: EFOI) IntelliTube(TM) Completes US Navy Qualification Testshttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3505-energy-focus-incs-otcbb-efoi-intellitubetm-completes-us-navy-qualification-tests.aspxOrlando, FL 2/16/12 (StreetBeat) -- Energy Focus, Inc. (OTCBB:EFOI), a leader in providing LED energy efficient lighting solutions, announced that IntelliTube(TM), its breakthrough fluorescent replacement technology, has completed testing for use on the US Navy fleet. As a result, Energy Focus has been able to fulfill the first $1.9 million of the $23 million lighting supply contract it was awarded in 2011.

"With the completion of the testing of our new military IntelliTube(TM) product, Energy Focus's intelligent plug and play LED lamps can now replace the existing linear fluorescent tube lamps used in most of the Navy's light fixtures," said Roger Buelow, Energy Focus CTO. "IntelliTube's proprietary 'brain,' a tiny microprocessor that allows the circuit to detect and actively reconfigure itself, is the secret behind IntelliTube's ability to be used in the entire gamut of existing fluorescent sockets by simply plugging it in."

With the addition of IntelliTube(TM) to its lighting arsenal, Energy Focus can replace the bulk of the lighting aboard ships across the fleet with its broad range of 25 Navy qualified advanced LED lighting products.

"I am delighted that IntelliTube has completed the Navy's rigorous testing and that Energy Focus is now positioned to fulfill the recently awarded $23 million Navy supply contract," said Joe Kaveski, Energy Focus CEO. He continues: "Supplying IntelliTube to the US Navy is a tremendous business opportunity for Energy Focus. More importantly, the Navy can immediately begin to benefit from the significant energy savings gained through Energy Focus' LED lighting by simply changing the light bulbs installed on every Navy vessel."

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]]>Janice MeehanThu, 16 Feb 2012 14:48:34 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3505-energy-focus-incs-otcbb-efoi-intellitubetm-completes-us-navy-qualification-tests.aspxAER Energy Resources (PK: AERN) Acquires OK Leases From TX Energyhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3504-aer-energy-resources-pk-aern-acquires-ok-leases-from-tx-energy.aspxOrlando, FL 2/16/12 (StreetBeat) -- AER Energy Resources, Inc. (Pinksheets: AERN) has successfully acquired three OK O&G leases from Fort Worth, TX. based Texas Energy, Inc. The purchase combines AER Petroleum, Inc and TX Energy's OK O&G assets. Al Karmali, President and CEO of TX Energy, will become the President of AER Petroleum, Inc. Corporate offices for AER Petroleum will relocate to Fort Worth, TX.

TX Energy brings over ten years of O&G operations experience to AER Energy and will contribute three Oklahoma leases with a minimum of twenty-four (24) identified wells and an estimated future O&G production when completed and combined with existing AERN lease holdings will exceed 700 BOPD. The OK leases are part of the Osage Prospects including the Buttrey, Waldon and Fletcher lease locations.

AER Petroleum will begin secondary recovery on three existing wells and plans to commence drilling on all three leases within 60 days. Emphasis will be on completing the most promising new wells first and then finishing the remaining wells on a drilling schedule of two wells per month. With one drilling Rig currently available, an estimated two wells per month over 12-18 months of drilling will complete the process allowing for climate delays.

Stanley F. Wilson, AER Energy Resources, Inc. President, stated, "AER Energy Resources is pleased to have completed the acquisition of TX Energy's three OK leases. I look forward to working with Al Karmali, AER Petroleum's new President. We will continue to implement our drilling plan and are committed to maintaining this quality of acquisition with additional lease purchases. This opportunity to merge with Texas Energy's lease assets is an excellent example of our continued success and is a superior addition to earlier announced drilling and reworks projects."

Al Kamali, TX Energy Inc. President, commented, "I am looking forward to working with Stan and the AER Energy team. AERN affords the needed capital to move forward with our excellent Lease holdings in OK. AERN will immediately begin secondary recovery operations on three of the leases and the company has scheduled an aggressive drilling program for 2012-2013. The combined O&G lease holdings of both companies are now substantial and will allow AER Energy to meet its established prodction goals."

At an $80 per bbl risk adjusted price, this acquisition is estimated to yield, upon drilling program completion, up to $20,000,000 in new AER Energy, Inc. annual revenues.

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]]>Janice MeehanThu, 16 Feb 2012 14:35:00 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3504-aer-energy-resources-pk-aern-acquires-ok-leases-from-tx-energy.aspx3 Things To Know Before Tradinghttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3503-3-things-to-know-before-trading.aspxOrlando, FL 2/16/12 (StreetBeat) -- Stocks were broadly lower in Asian trade. Australia was among the worst with a loss of 1.7%. the Hang Seng and Shanghai fell 0.4%, while the Nikkei was off by a quarter percent. European indexes are generally weaker this morning, with the Dax off more than one percent and the Footsie down by 0.8%. US stock futures are lower by a quarter to a half percent as I write.

*The January reading of Australia’s Unemployment Rate fell one tenth from the month before to 5.1%; the decline was a surprise as a one tenth increase was the forecast. The net change in January in the number of Employed was +46.3k, more than four times the expected gain.

*Greece President Popoullas asks “Who is Schaeuble (German FinMin) to insult Greece?”, punctuating his comments by saying “I don’t accept it as a Greek.” So overall the talks about Greek debt remain difficult and if possible, more contentious. No deals are apparently imminent.

*There are three bits of data due out at 7:30am CST. The January reading of the Producer Price Index is expected to be +0.4% on a month on month basis and the estimate for the Core PPI is +0.2% on the month. The January reading of Housing Starts is forecast to be up 2.7% from the month before to an annualized rate of 675k units; the estimate for Building Permits is 680k annualized or up 1.3% on the month. The weekly report on Initial Jobless Claims is expected to be 365k. The February reading of the Philly Fed Business Activity Index is due out at 9:00am CST, it is forecast to be 9.0, up from the January result of 7.3.

*Fed boss Bernanke is set to speak on Community Banking at 8:00am CST; unlikely to matter to the market as he usually sticks to the topic at these events.

*The Mortgage Bankers Association will release some data on Q4 mortgage foreclosures and delinquencies at 9:00am CST.

*The weekly report on Natural Gas inventories is due out at 9:30am CST, it is expected to show a decline of 120 bcf.

*The Treasury will announce at 10:00am CST the details of next week’s auctions of 2 Year, 5 Year and 7 Year Notes.

*The Fed is scheduled to buy Treasuries today that are due to mature between 2/15/36 and 2/15/42; the results of the operation will be announced just after 10:00am CST.

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]]>Janice MeehanThu, 16 Feb 2012 14:24:34 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3503-3-things-to-know-before-trading.aspxVonage (NYSE: VG) To Crank Up Spending In 2012; Investors Not Happyhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3502-vonage-nyse-vg-to-crank-up-spending-in-2012-investors-not-happy.aspxNorthern, WI 2/15/12 (StreetBeat) -- Vonage (NYSE: VG) shares are trading sharply lower Wednesday morning following the company’s Q4 earnings report, which included a warning that increased investment in the business will reduce its financial performance in 2012.

For the fourth quarter, the voice over IP telephony company posted revenue of $216 million, a hair below the Q3 level at $217 million, the year-ago quarter at $218 million and the Street consensus, also $218 million. Non-GAAP profits were 11 cents a share, in line with estimates. The company posted adjusted EBITDA in the quarter of $40 million. The company noted that this was the fifth consecutive quarter with EBITDA of $40 million or better – but that is about to end.

“”Now that we have stabilized our core business and are generating meaningful cash flow, we will accelerate our investment in strategic growth initiatives during 2012,” CEO Marc Lefar said in a statement. “While reducing adjusted EBITDA in the short term, we believe this investment will fund growth in mobile and geographic expansion. Even with this increased level of funding, we expect to further strengthen our cash position during the year.”

The company sees quarterly EBITDA in 2012 running in the $30 million to $35 million range, with annual EBITDA of $120 million to $140 million, which would be down from $168 million in 2011.

VG this morning is down 29 cents, or 10.6%, to $2.44.

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]]>Steve KanavalWed, 15 Feb 2012 16:24:40 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3502-vonage-nyse-vg-to-crank-up-spending-in-2012-investors-not-happy.aspxCounterfeit Doses of Roche's (PK: RHHBY) Avastin Distributed in the U.S.http://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3501-counterfeit-doses-of-roches-pk-rhhby-avastin-distributed-in-the-us.aspxTallahassee, FL 2/15/12 (StreetBeat) -- Counterfeit versions of Roche’s (Pinksheets: RHHBY) multibillion cancer drug Avastin have been distributed in the United States, the Swiss drug maker and its United States biotech unit, Genentech, said on Tuesday.

Roche was contacted about the counterfeit Avastin by a health authority outside the United States and was informed that the drug in the United States came from another country, the company said, but declined to divulge which one.

“We are working with the F.D.A. and law enforcement to aid their evaluations, determine the source of the counterfeit drug, and prevent its further distribution,” Roche and Genentech said in a statement. “The counterfeit product is not safe or effective and should not be used.”

The Food and Drug Administration is taking the lead on the evaluation, a Genetech spokeswoman said. Genentech said there was an ongoing investigation by national health authorities but could provide no further information.

The F.D.A. said it had sent letters to 19 medical practices informing them about counterfeit 400 milligram/16 millileter doses of Avastin.

The company said it did yet know just how much counterfeit Avastin was out in the market. Avastin is given intravenously. But there are several obvious differences in the package and the label that should allow doctors to easily spot the counterfeit drug.

Genuine Avastin, known chemically as bevacizumab, has Genentech on the label, which is all in English. The counterfeit says Roche and the label is in French. Lot numbers of actual Avastin include six digits with no letters, while the counterfeit lot number begins with a letter. The counterfeit bottles of Avastin are also missing information on the label, like “for intravenous use.”

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]]>Andy DufraneWed, 15 Feb 2012 16:15:06 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3501-counterfeit-doses-of-roches-pk-rhhby-avastin-distributed-in-the-us.aspxSeanergy Maritime (Nasdaq: SHIP) swings to 4th-qrtr profithttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3500-seanergy-maritime-nasdaq-ship-swings-to-4th-qrtr-profit.aspxOrlando, FL 2/15/12 (StreetBeat) -- Drybulk ship owner Seanergy Maritime Holdings Corp (Nasdaq: SHIP) swung to a profit in the fourth quarter, helped by increased operating days and reduced costs.

However, the company said it expects market conditions to remain weak this year as new vessel deliveries add to oversupply in the industry, hurting demand and depressing rates.

Revenue for the quarter rose 6.2 percent to $27.5 million on increased fleet operating days. Expenses for the quarter fell $2 million.

The company posted a net income of $6.6 million, or 91 cents per share, compared with a loss of $2.6 million, or 36 cents per share, a year ago.

Shares of the company closed at $2.91 on Tuesday on the Nasdaq.

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]]>Andy DufraneWed, 15 Feb 2012 16:00:32 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3500-seanergy-maritime-nasdaq-ship-swings-to-4th-qrtr-profit.aspxZynga (Nasdaq: ZNGA) falls on sluggish paying players outlookhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3499-zynga-nasdaq-znga-falls-on-sluggish-paying-players-outlook.aspxOrlando, FL 2/15/12 (StreetBeat) -- Zynga Inc (Nasdaq: ZNGA) shares fell 7 percent in premarket trade, suggesting investors were wary of the social game maker's weak bookings outlook and expensive valuations, and at least three brokerages downgraded the stock.

A lackluster fourth-quarter showing -- Zynga's first as a publicly traded company -- and expectations of sequentially slowing bookings in the first half of 2012, may rattle bullish industry watchers who have driven up the company's valuations.

Bookings is the metric Zynga uses to measure the cash it gets upfront when people spend money on virtual items in its games such as tractors, houses or poker chips.

Evercore Partners said the company's stock -- trading at 31 times the brokerage's 2013 estimate for earnings before interest taxes depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) -- bears risk, and downgraded it to "under weight" from "equal weight."

The company, which went public in December, trades nearly 67 times forward earnings, compared with the sector average of 12, according to Thomson Reuters data.

"Core game monetization is slowing more rapidly than expected,"Macquaries Equities Research said in research note.

Zynga said its games are designed to gain popularity and make money in the longer term, adding that it still has the six-most played games on Facebook.

The owner of the popular Farmville and Cityville games does not disclose the number of its unique payers on Facebook, making it difficult to gauge any possible deceleration trends.

The company's Words with Friends, a Scrabble-like game, was recently in news after actor Alec Baldwin got kicked off an American Airlines flight for playing the game on his iPhone while the plane was parked at the gate.

While filing its IPO last year, Zynga said it gets almost all its revenue from Facebook. Investors are closely watching its strategy to diversify and make money from games on smartphones and tablets.

Analysts, however, remain convinced that Zynga is well positioned for longer-term growth.

"Zynga was one of the key developers that turned Facebook from a relatively passive communications medium to a more active and engaged social platform," Robert W. Baird & Co wrote in a research note, and downgraded the stock.

"While growth has slowed for both Facebook and Zynga, long-term secular shifts in content consumption, along with significant growth opportunities on smart devices from Apple and Google are too compelling to ignore."

The gamemaker's shares, were trading at $13.42 in trading before the bell. The stock, which has jumped more than 30 percent since its December 16 debut, closed at $14.35 Tuesday on the Nasdaq.

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]]>Janice MeehanWed, 15 Feb 2012 15:50:25 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3499-zynga-nasdaq-znga-falls-on-sluggish-paying-players-outlook.aspxSafety-Related Work Stoppages Hurts Metal Producers in South Africa Safety-Related Work Stoppages Hurts Metal Producers in South Africahttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3498-safety-related-work-stoppages-hurts-metal-producers-in-south-africa-safety-related-work-stoppages-hurts-metal-producers-in-south-africa.aspxOrlando, FL 2/15/12 (StreetBeat) -- On Monday, the world’s biggest platinum producer, Anglo American Platinum, said that output would probably be flat in 2012 as safety stoppages hamstringed production that fell short of targets last year. The company said that it plans to refine and sell between 2.5 and 2.6 million ounces of platinum in 2012 after selling 2.6 million ounces in 2011 – just shy of its estimate of 2.7 million ounces for the year.

The South African government is on a mission to thwart the death toll in mines and halted Anglo’s production on 81 occasions, more than twice as many as the year prior. On average, 10 workers in South African die each month in the world's deepest and most dangerous underground mines.

"While we agree with the need for the regulator to stop operations for non-compliance, the key issue is the nature of stoppages and their effectiveness in addressing real risks," the company said in a statement. The company estimates that it lost 138,215 ounces of platinum because of the halts in 2011.

Anglo American has also raised caution about expected earnings not only because of the safety halts that are shutting down entire shafts and mines, but also as an outcome of associated costs related to South Africa’s BEE (Black Economic Empowerment) initiative. As part of the deal, South African miners are mandated to be a minimum of 26 percent black-owned by 2014.

Lonmin PLC (PinkSheets: LNMIF) reported last week that it has lost about $13 million a month in platinum production in the past four months because of safety stoppages.

Today, AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. (NYSE: AU), the world’s third largest gold producer, joined the growing list of those disgruntled by safety halts imposed by the South African Department of Mineral Resources. The Australian-traded miner said that it lost 73,000 troy ounces of gold production (worth about $126 million at current prices) in the last year. The company derives about 40 percent of its global annual production from operations in South Africa. The safety halts present "a significant risk to forecasting production,” warned the company today as it reported a sharp fall in fourth-quarter earnings.

AngloGold Chief Executive Mark Cutifani is concerned that the safety stoppages actually create a more dangerous situation than the hazard they are trying to fix in some cases. He stated, "It is now an industry issue. We have as an industry come together with a view to again engaging with the department of mineral resources in a conversation that gets us all to the right outcome."

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]]>Janice MeehanWed, 15 Feb 2012 15:36:00 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3498-safety-related-work-stoppages-hurts-metal-producers-in-south-africa-safety-related-work-stoppages-hurts-metal-producers-in-south-africa.aspxElite Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTCBB: ELTP) Reports Financial Results for the Third Quarter of Fiscal 2012http://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3497-elite-pharmaceuticals-inc-otcbb-eltp-reports-financial-results-for-the-third-quarter-of-fiscal-2012.aspxPalm Beach, FL 2/15/12 (StreetBeat) -- Elite Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTCBB:ELTP), a specialty pharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and commercializing generic and branded oral controlled release products announced results for the fiscal third quarter ended December 31, 2011.

Consolidated revenues for the quarter ended December 31, 2011 increased by 86% as compared with revenues from the prior quarter ending September 31, 2011. This increase is the result of the continued growth of the phentermine product launched earlier this year and the launch of the Lodrane D(R) products during this quarter. The company achieved a 117% increase in manufacturing revenues and a 234% increase in contract product development fees, but offset by an 80% decrease in royalty revenues which resulted from the removal of the extended release Lodrane products from the market in August 2011. Loss from operations decreased to $430k this quarter from a loss of $592k the previous quarter.

On a year to date basis, consolidated revenues through the first 3 fiscal quarters decreased by 42%, from $3.1 million last year to $1.8 million for the first nine months of this fiscal year. Revenue streams, while expanding, have not yet offset the revenues earned last year from the extended release Lodrane(R) products discontinued at the beginning of this fiscal year. The loss of this revenue stream has been the primary factor in the increased operating losses sustained by Elite this year. Last year, Elite achieved an operating profit of $72k for the 3rd quarter, and a nine month operating loss of $155k. This year, Elite's operating losses for the 3rd quarter and nine months were $430k and $1.4million, respectively.

Elite expects revenues from the products launched this year to continue to grow and its contract product development activities to continue at current levels. Elite anticipates an expansion in revenues from the contract manufacture of generic methadone, first shipped in January 2012, and from the launch of Elite's recently approved Hydromorphone product.

GAAP net income, including non-cash revenues and expenses relating to the accounting treatment of preferred share derivatives and the fair value of warrant derivatives, was $8.8 million, or $0.03 basic net income per share and $0.02 fully diluted net income per share.

Cash flow from operations for the first nine months of fiscal 2012 was a negative $789k, compared to a positive operating cash flow of $318k for the comparable period last year. Net cash flow for the first nine months, inclusive of cash used in investing and financing activities, was a negative $1.3million. Cash as of December 31, 2011 was $569k.

Chairman & CEO Jerry Treppel states that "our business and strategic plans as we discussed in our prior earnings calls are proceeding as expected. Our revenues from our newly launched products will continue to grow aided by the launch of additional new products. Beginning to utilize our new manufacturing space, increased batch size production, and start up of our packaging line, should all increase profitability in the coming quarters. It remains our corporate goal to achieve positive cash flow on an operating basis as soon as practicable. Additionally, we are working diligently to complete the Socius capital raise transaction so we can aggressively pursue our R&D objectives."

The Company will host a conference call to discuss the results of operations and provide an update on recent business developments on Wednesday, February 15, 2011 at 2:00 PM EST. Company executives will also conduct a question and answer session following their remarks.

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]]>Ashley MontgomeryWed, 15 Feb 2012 14:45:15 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3497-elite-pharmaceuticals-inc-otcbb-eltp-reports-financial-results-for-the-third-quarter-of-fiscal-2012.aspxMonkey Rock (PK: MKRO) Signs LOI for New Corporate Headquarters and Milling Facilityhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3496-monkey-rock-pk-mkro-signs-loi-for-new-corporate-headquarters-and-milling-facility.aspxPalm Beach, FL 2/15/12 (StreetBeat) -- Monkey Rock Group Inc. trading under the symbol MKRO (soon to be renamed Nissi Mining Co.), now headed by Dexter Aspacio, is pleased to announce that a Letter of Intent has been signed to lease a commercial property at: 1211 Arizona Ave, Yuma, AZ 85364.

The facility includes a main office, warehouse, along with fenced and unfenced land areas .The company also has first right of refusal to lease additional space that would be used as a assaying and chemist lab. The facility will function as the new corporate headquarters, staging area for the pay dirt, and house all the crushing and milling equipment necessary to extract all metal ore from the dirt.

The company intends to begin occupancy on or before March 31, 2012.The company will occupy the facility for 2 years and have up to (4) two year options to renew its lease without further increases in rent.The Company also has the option to purchase the facility before or during its occupancy at 95% of the then current appraised value.

The Company will make every effort to get all operational permits and obtain the necessary funds for the lease in a timely manner.

"This is the first step for our company to begin its operations of mining our claims at the Los Flores Mine," stated Mr. Aspacio!

The Company plans on mining the existing mineable resources of the Los Flores Mine which has an independently documented, estimated in-place gross value of approximately $3 billion in gold for production (See our latest GEO Report completed by: Mr. Craig L. Parkinson of West Coast Environmental & Engineering.) The average gold grade of all samples is estimated at .246 ounce per ton with the average gold grade of all high grade samples being .312 ounce per ton. The geological report and valuation make conservative estimates taking 1/10 of the high grade average to calculate and estimate a conservative gold grade of .0312 ounce per ton. The estimated tonnage of mineable ore is calculated at 58,500,000 tons with estimated In-Place Gross Values of approximately 1,800,000 ounces of gold. The Los Flores Mine is located 15 miles northeast of the city of Yuma, Arizona.

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]]>Ashley MontgomeryWed, 15 Feb 2012 14:36:31 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3496-monkey-rock-pk-mkro-signs-loi-for-new-corporate-headquarters-and-milling-facility.aspx2012 Jargon, part 3; European TARGET2http://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3495-2012-jargon-part-3-european-target2.aspxPalm Beach, FL 2/15/12 (StreetBeat) -- Greece owes more money than it can repay. There is some measure of concern that the story is the same for Portugal and Ireland; maybe even Spain, possibly Italy if things don’t go according to Hoyle. While the focus has been on the sovereign debt from these countries, they also have other liabilities that some people fear will not be made whole. Additionally there is a line of thinking that the growth and financing of these other liabilities is an indication of a balance of payments crisis in European central banking that could shake the euro zone to its foundation. There are differing opinions on this topic, but it is probably better to be aware of its existence, just in case it becomes a flash point.

Each country that uses the euro as its currency has its own National Central Bank (NCB). The NCBs interact with their domestic banking system and interconnect with other countries’ banking systems through the European Central Bank (ECB). In order to facilitate cross border payments the euro zone has a transaction settlement system. This system is known as TARGET2; it stands for Trans-European Automated Real-time Gross settlement Express Transfer system. The 2 indicates a change to the original TARGET system in November 2007.

TARGET2 is not something that should be noticed; it is the plumbing, not the nice fixtures. TARGET2 pipes have not become clogged, nor has a leak been sprung, the system is functioning. But the flow of payments within this system has become significantly imbalanced and as a result is now the source of great consternation, especially for a well regarded German economist, because of its implications for ECB monetary policy in general and the well being of the Bundesbank in particular.

When there is a cross border transaction in the euro zone a TARGET balance is created, explains Hans-Werner Sinn, the very concerned President of Germany’s IFO Economic Research Institute, in his paper called Target Loans, Current Account Balances and Capital Flow: the ECB’s Rescue Facility. For example, “a Greek transportation company buys a German truck. With the bank transfer the money flows to the Greek central bank and ceases to circulate in Greece: i.e. it is destroyed there. Conversely, the Bundesbank must carry out the transfer and to do this it creates new money that flows to the manufacturer via its commercial bank. A TARGET liability is assigned to the Greek central bank on the amount of the transfer request vis-à-vis the ECB, and conversely the Bundesbank receives a TARGET claim on the ECB.” From the beginning of the use of the euro currency and this transfer system the TARGET accounts were roughly in balance throughout the system. The Bundesbank for instance was almost as often a debtor in the system as it was a creditor; in the early years from 1999 up to early 2007 the German central bank rarely had a TARGET balance in excess of EU30 billion on either side of the ledger; and that is how it was envisioned. “When the TARGET system was established, it was assumed that the balances would be insignificant,” points out Sinn in the paper I cited above. “As insiders have reported, the belief prevailed at the time that the balances would virtually net out daily, and it was thus not considered necessary to put a cap on them. They were to have the character of short-term checking account credits to smooth out the peaks in monetary transactions.” It was not considered to be necessary to zero out the balances in this system on a regular schedule because the regular flow of funds would periodically zero out themselves; the NCB quid pro quo was all that was assumed to be needed, a huge imbalance was not imagined.

But once the global economy hit the skids in late 2007 the TARGET system began to take on a different form as the Bundesbank began to accumulate credits on the ECB. Not that anyone noticed right away. Since the ECB credits and liabilities in the TARGET system always net out to zero, there was nothing to seen on their balance sheet to signal imbalance. In order to take note of the lopsided situation it is necessary to find the data on the individual NCB balance sheets; the Bundesbank, for instance, identifies the TARGET balance as EU8148.

As of January 2007 the Bundesbank’s TARGET balance was a EU13.0 billion credit; by the end of that year the credit was EU71 billion. When the Greek budget fiasco first came to light at the end of 2009 the Bundesbank TARGET credit balance had grown to EU178 billion. As of last month the credit was an all-time high of EU498 billion. It should be noted that one of the key reasons for the growth of the Bundesbank balances is that private citizens in the troubled countries have been transferring their bank accounts out of their own country and into Germany, in order to prevent a surprise return to the Drachma, Punt or Escudo suddenly reducing their savings.

While the Bundesbank has ECB credits, the other side of the ECB’s ledger contains the liabilities for a corresponding total in the accounts of the central banks of Ireland, Greece, Portugal, Spain and beginning in the middle of last year, Italy. The Netherlands finds itself collecting ECB credits along with the Bundesbank, but in much smaller quantities than the Germans; the rest of the euro zone is much closer to balance than the countries I have mentioned here. It can be said, and the IFO’s Sinn does, that this essentially creates a Bundesbank loan to the ECB for the amount of the TARGET credit; a loan that is then passed along to the PIIGS.

It can also be said that if any of these countries were to leave the euro zone it would be the Bundesbank that is on the hook for the loan, not the ECB. While it is true that should Greece, et al, hit the road that Germany would officially be liable for only 27% of the total left unpaid, Sinn is not so sure a euro zone in disarray would be in a position to honor that commitment.

Sinn also figures that the TARGET imbalances are an indication that the NCBs of the deficit countries have printed money to cover their imbalances. His assumption therefore is that a transfer union already exists and threatens to get bigger. On the one hand Sinn is concerned that Bundesbank will not get paid in full on its de facto loans to the euro zone banking system. But on the other hand he is concerned that the imbalances will grow ever larger unless the Bundesbank draws a line in the sand. His IFO group issued a declaration last October saying that Germany should insist on radical changes in the current monetary regime, including the payment of TARGET system debts, or that his country should leave the currency zone if their suggestions are not adopted.

While the IFO opinion may not be widely held in official circles in Germany, it likely has some constituents, maybe even some quiet supporters at the Bundesbank. Officially of course Sinn’s opinion and research on the matter are at the very least inconvenient for European central bankers. When he first broached the matter early last year the Bundesbank pushed back; they said the imbalances in the TARGET system were inconsequential, a reflection of the times and something that would eventually work itself out. The ECB said similar things when they addressed the issue in their October 2011 Monthly Bulletin after Sinn persisted with his argument. Even the New York Fed chimed in with an essay on the topic in December in the Liberty Street Economics publication, reiterating the “move along, nothing to see here” previously expressed by the European bankers.

It just seems to me that if you hear the term TARGET2 being used in anger by a market participant, it may be something you want to pay attention to.

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]]>Ashley MontgomeryWed, 15 Feb 2012 14:22:32 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3495-2012-jargon-part-3-european-target2.aspxKellogg (NYSE: K) Agrees to Buy Pringles from Proctor & Gamblehttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3494-kellogg-nyse-k-agrees-to-buy-pringles-from-proctor-gamble.aspxTallahassee, FL 2/15/12 (StreetBeat) -- The Battle Creek, Michigan food outfit Kellogg Company (NYSE:K) said this morning that it has entered into an agreement with Procter & Gamble’s (NYSE:PG) Pringles® business for $2.695 billion in cash, calling it an “excellent strategic fit” with its business. Kellogg is looking to bolster its global snack business to levels that parallel its cereal operations. The company first got into the snack business more than 10 years ago with its acquisition of Keebler. In its snack offerings, Kellogg also has Cheez-It and Special K Cracker Chips, amongst others.

P&G had been in discussions to sell its Pringles brand to Diamond Foods (NASDAQ:DMND), but that deal is now mutually terminated. The transaction with Kellogg is expected to be completed in the summer of 2012, subject to customary approvals and conditions.

According to Euromonitor, Pringles is the world’s second largest player in savory snacks with $1.5 billion in sales across more than 140 countries.

“We are excited to announce this strategic acquisition,” said John Bryant, Kellogg Company’s president and chief executive officer. “Pringles has an extensive global footprint that catapults Kellogg to the number two position in the worldwide savory snacks category, helping us achieve our objective of becoming a truly global cereal and snacks company. We are delighted to welcome the employees of the Pringles organization to Kellogg. Their collective passion and commitment has resulted in Pringles’ well-deserved acclaim as one of the most recognized brands in the world.”

P&G’s Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Bob McDonald, added, “This is an excellent development for P&G, Pringles and Kellogg, creating value for our shareholders and representing an outstanding opportunity for Pringles employees with a leading company in the Food sector. Kellogg shares similar values and principles to us and we are confident that the Pringles business will thrive under Kellogg’s leadership.”

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]]>Ashley MontgomeryWed, 15 Feb 2012 14:10:00 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3494-kellogg-nyse-k-agrees-to-buy-pringles-from-proctor-gamble.aspx3 Things to Know Before Tradinghttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3493-3-things-to-know-before-trading.aspxNorthern, WI  2/15/2012 (Streetbeat)  --  Stocks (NYSE:SPY) were generally strong in Asian trade. The Nikkei and the Hang Seng were among the best with gains of more than two percent, Shanghai rose almost one percent and Australia added a quarter percent. European indexes are higher this morning, with the Dax up 1.3% and the Footsie better by 0.7%. US stock futures are up about three quarters of a percent.

*In their month report on the economy the Bank of Japan says that economic activity has been more or less flat, which they in part blame on the strength of the Yen.





*European FinMins will teleconference today on the Greek situation. There have been more comments this morning that Greece has not yet done enough to deserve the cash. Greek political leader and austerity hold out, reiterated this morning that he has signed a letter of support for the Greek austerity package. Also, the PBOC Governor Zhou says China will participate in resolving the EU debt crisis, just waiting for the right time jump into the fray.

*The Q4 reading of Euro Zone GDP was -0.3% on a quarter on quarter basis, one tenth better than forecast. The annualized GDP rate of +0.7 matched the forecast. France’s Q4 GDP was better than expected at +0.2% quarter on quarter; a decline of that amount was the estimate.



*The Q4 reading of German GDP was -0.2% quarter on quarter, one tenth better than forecast. The annualized GDP was +2.0%, also one tenth better than the estimates.



*The December reading of the UK Unemployment Rate was steady at 8.4%, as expected. The net change in the number of Jobless Claims in January was +6.9k, or twice as many as the forecast.



*The Bank of England sees a drag on UK growth from the euro crisis and their own government’s budget cuts, according to their Inflation Report. They warn that failure of the euro policies could cause a “disorderly outcome”. They also figure UK inflation will fall to a 1.8% rate in the next two years.


*US mortgage applications were down 1.0% in the week ended February 10, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. The weakness was in a decline of 8.4% in applications for purchase.


*The February reading of the Empire State Manufacturing Index is due out at 7:30am CST, it is expected to be 15.00, up about a point and a half from the month before. The Treasury will announce at 8:00am CST the net change in December of the foreign holdings of long-term US securities, the TIC Data; it is expected to be +$45.0 billion. The January readings of Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization are due out at 8:15am CST. Production is expected to be +0.7% on the month and the estimate for Utilization is 78.6%, up five tenths from the month before. The February reading of the NAHB Housing Market Index is due out at 9:00am CST, it is expected to be up one point on the month to 26.


*Dallas Fed boss Fisher is set to speak at 8:15am CST.


*The weekly report on energy inventories is due out at 9:30am CST. Stocks of Crude Oil are forecast to increase 1.5 million barrels, Gasoline inventories are expected to be +700k and the estimate for Distillates is -1.1 million.


*The Fed is scheduled to sell Treasuries today that are due to mature between 12/15/13 and 3/31/14; the results of the operation will be announced just after 10:00am CST.


*The Fed is scheduled to release at 1:00pm CST the minutes from their January FOMC meeting.



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]]>Steve KanavalWed, 15 Feb 2012 13:35:05 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3493-3-things-to-know-before-trading.aspxDryships (Nasdaq:DRYS): Proxy for Greek Solutionhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3492-dryships-nasdaqdrys-proxy-for-greek-solution.aspxNorthern, WI 2/14/2012 (Streetbeat) -- Dryships (Nasdaq:DRYS) has been rallying most of 2012 and was up another 12% in today's trading. The dry shipping sector has been maligned as it experienced a selloff in 2011 of about 65%. 2012 has been what many call , bottoming action in the stock even in the face of Greece defaulting on it's debt and exiting the Euro. I don't think anyone knows for sure if it's good or bad for Dryships to be out of the European Union. The price action in the stock many times tells the story before the news breaks and I think this name tells you that exiting the Euro may not be all bad for Greece.

At the start of the week, Greece's parliament passed a controversial package of austerity measures, demanded by the eurozone and IMF in return for a 130bn-euro ($170bn) bailout to avoid default. The Parliament gave the government the authority to sign a new loan agreement with the foreign lenders and approve a broader arrangement to reduce the amount Greece must repay to its bondholders.

According to a recent report from The New York Times, the new austerity measures include, among others, a 22 percent cut in the benchmark minimum wage and 150,000 government layoffs by 2015.  With Greece's unemployment rate well above 20 percent, some experts continue to question the health of the shipping industry. Dimitri Papadimitriou, president of the Levy Economics Institute at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY, recently told CNNMoney that "Greece is highly dependent on shipping from an employment perspective. It's hard to be confident."

On the upside, Greek shipping's cooperation with China is helping the industry weather the challenging economic storm. Last year China agreed in October to set up a 10 billion dollar fund to help Greek shipowners buy Chinese-made vessels. "China has pledged that the financing terms for Greek companies will be better than those offered by any other bank in the world," Greece's Maritime Affairs minister said.

Dryships Dryships (Nasdaq:DRYS) is one to keep an eye on. 

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The streetbeat.com has no position in DRYS and is not paid in any way as we write about DRYS.  See the Full Disclaimer link Here and below.

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]]>Steve KanavalTue, 14 Feb 2012 21:50:00 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3492-dryships-nasdaqdrys-proxy-for-greek-solution.aspxPervasip’s (PK: PVSP) G3 Connect Signs Agreement With Access Sales Grouphttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3491-pervasips-pk-pvsp-g3-connect-signs-agreement-with-access-sales-group.aspxOrlando, FL 2/14/12 (StreetBeat) – Pervasip Corp. (PinkSheets: PVSP) partner G3 Connect, LLC (the "Company") announced today that it has signed an agreement with Access Sales Group ("ASG") to represent its videophone and Pervasip's mobile VoIP applications in the consumer electronics retail marketplace.

ASG has sales in excess of $1 billion annually through an extensive network of over 100 sales representatives in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Its customer base includes major retailers such as Best Buy, Radio Shack, Amazon.com, Target and Staples.

"G3 Connect is a leading innovator in videophones and VoIP and we recognize a huge opportunity in the market for their unrivaled video quality and network," said Mark Satterfield, Co-Founder of Access Sales Group.

"We are excited to partner with a company that has proven success building consumer electronics brands like Sony and Toshiba with key retail partners," said Barry MacCheyne, President at G3 Connect. "ASG fits perfectly into our distribution strategy and they have the right contacts and customers to build our business."

G3 Connect videophones will be sold at a retail price of $99.95 or two for $199.95. The Company is also developing a Wi-Fi adaptor for the videophone, which is anticipated to be available by the end of the first quarter. Monthly service plans on Pervasip's VoIP network will be offered at $29.95 for unlimited telephone calls to the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico and unlimited video calls to anyone on its VoIP network.

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]]>Janice MeehanTue, 14 Feb 2012 17:25:39 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3491-pervasips-pk-pvsp-g3-connect-signs-agreement-with-access-sales-group.aspxInnolog (OTCBB: INHC) Receives Contract Award to ITC in Support of Air Force Materials Commandhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3490-innolog-otcbb-inhc-receives-contract-award-to-itc-in-support-of-air-force-materials-command.aspxOrlando, FL 2/14/12 (StreetBeat) – Innolog Holdings Corp. (OTCBB: INHC) today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Innovative Logistics Techniques, Inc. (INNOLOG) received a sub contract award to ITC to provide support to The U.S. Air Force Aeronautical Systems Center (the largest center of the Air Force Materiel Command), headquartered in Dayton, Ohio.

The contract award is to be part of the ITC team supporting the Air Force's $950m ACCESS program contract. ITC and its team will provide services ranging from management and professional support services to engineering and technical services.

Richard Stewart, INNOLOG's President, stated, "We are pleased to be part of the ITC team and look forward to supporting them on this critical mission and supporting the Air Force Materiels Command Center in Dayton. We will continue to look for ways to expand our presence beyond this contract to the Air Force and look forward to a partnership with ITC on this project and others in the future."

William P. Danielczyk, Executive Chairman of Innolog Holdings commented, "We are proud of Rich and his team in building a partnership with ITC, a very fine company, which we hope will expand beyond this first contract. Over the past two years, we have put in place a long-term growth plan for INNOLOG, which we believe will realize and maximize value to our shareholders. This is the second consecutive contract award during the past six months with new partners."

INNOLOG projects annual revenues of $1.5m to $3.0m to be generated from the ACCESS contract.

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]]>Janice MeehanTue, 14 Feb 2012 17:09:51 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3490-innolog-otcbb-inhc-receives-contract-award-to-itc-in-support-of-air-force-materials-command.aspxEnergy Conversion (Nasdaq: ENER) files for bankruptcy protectionhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3489-energy-conversion-nasdaq-ener-files-for-bankruptcy-protection.aspxOrlando, FL 2/14/12 (StreetBeat) – Lightweight solar product maker Energy Conversion Devices Inc (Nasdaq: ENER) filed for bankruptcy protection on Tuesday, the latest in a string of solar companies that have collapsed in an industry shakeout.

The company, whose filing came after years of losses and months of public discussions with bondholders, said it would sell its United Solar Ovonic unit and other assets in bankruptcy.

Energy Conversion, whose products are used for rooftops and buildings, said it would continue to operate during the sale process.

Shares were down 78 percent, or $1.16, at about 30 cents in morning trading on Nasdaq.

The company's failure is the fourth major bankruptcy for the industry in the past year. Evergreen Solar Inc, Solyndra and SpectraWatt have also sought Chapter 11 protection.

Energy Conversion struggled to keep costs down as prices on solar panels fell, due in part to Italian and German government subsidies. The company temporarily suspended manufacturing of its lightweight solar products last fall and said it would cut 500 jobs. Its bondholders hired advisers last fall as problems for the company worsened.

Energy Conversion filed for bankruptcy in Michigan where it is based, saying that holders of about 70 percent of its $263.2 million in 3 percent convertible senior notes due 2013 supported its proposed operating and sales plan.

That plan will essentially keep the flexible, lightweight thin-film photovoltaic product business operating while shedding its debt and other legacy costs. It is used in roofs and also consumer products, such as a solar cover for the Amazon.com's Kindle E-reader. It expects to complete the unit's sale in 90 days.

It also said it sold its Ovonic Battery Company, which licenses advanced battery technology, to BASF Corp. for $58 million. It had first announced that sales process in July.

The company plans to sell its 39 percent stake in Ovonyx, a semiconductor technology company, other intellectual proper and some fixed assets.

Its bondholders include Sanders Morris Harris, Angelo Gordon & Co., Diamondback Capital and Wolverine Asset Management among other creditors, according to court documents.

According to those documents, Energy Conversion had both assets and liabilities in the $100 million to $500 million range when it filed.

In addition to the Chapter 11 filing of the United Solar Ovonic unit, the company also filed a Chapter 7 bankruptcy case for Solar Integrated Technologies, which does engineering, procurement and construction of solar technology.

The company does not expect to be able to pay back all creditors through the plan and that shareholders will likely be wiped out.

The case is in re Energy Conversion, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Michigan, No. 12-43166.

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]]>Janice MeehanTue, 14 Feb 2012 16:47:11 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3489-energy-conversion-nasdaq-ener-files-for-bankruptcy-protection.aspxMichael Kors (NYSE: KORS) Skyrocketing On Sparkling 2012 Forecasthttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3488-michael-kors-nyse-kors-skyrocketing-on-sparkling-2012-forecast.aspxNorthern, WI 2/14/12 (StreetBeat) – Michael Kors (NYSE: KORS) is living the good life. And that’s not expected to change.

Shares spiked nearly 25% in early morning trading Wednesday to record highs after the luxury retailer said rampant growth would continue.

Michael Kors expects fiscal year revenue to reach between $1.27 billion to $1.28 billion—a year ago, it posted $757.8 in net sales. The company anticipates 83 cents to 85 cents earnings per share, excluding a charge.

In this quarter, revenue should range between $350 to $355 million, with 10 to 12 cents EPS.

“These results reflect the strong demand for the Michael Kors luxury brand, our exciting assortment of fashion merchandise and our exceptional jet-set in-store experience,” CEO and Chairman John Idol said in a statement. “We are uniquely positioned to continue to build our global, luxury lifestyle brand and we have tremendous opportunity for growth.”

This forecast comes off a strong fiscal third quarter. Revenue jumped 67.9% to 373.6 million from a year ago. Michael Kors has opened 75 stores since last year, driving a 82.9% jump in retail net sales to $199.4 million. Whole net sales rose too, some 55% at $154.6 million.

When Michael Kors went public in December—a debut where it priced above its initial range and saw stock rise 25% in first-day trading—it took a $15.9 million equity compensation charge. This sagged fiscal third-quarter profit a bit, by 8 cents a share.

Excluding the charge, net income was $53.6 million or 28 cents EPS, towering above last year’s $27.8 million or 16 cents EPS.

Another luxury retailer, watch-maker Fossil, announced strong results Wednesday. Fossil’s revenue rose across all markets, gaining 18.5% to $830.8 million. Sales in America, Europe, and China all expanded by double-digits. Fossil earned $117.9 million or $1.87 EPS, a 27% increase from the previous year.

Fossil also expects to flourish in 2012. Sales should grow by 15% in both this quarter and for the year. First quarter EPS should range between 90 to 92 cents; for year, EPS should range from $5.40 to $5.50.

The luxury market has been strong in recent months—beating back fears that a depressed macroeconomic situation would force shoppers to scrap upmarket purchases.

Ralph Lauren turned in stronger than expected quarterly results, as did Coach. One notable expection was True Religion, which saw its stock plummeting nearly 30% last week. Analysts though suggest that the market overracted to True Religion’s results. Liz Claiborne reports later this month.

Michael Kors was at $42.04 in early morning trading.

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]]>Steve KanavalTue, 14 Feb 2012 16:38:40 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3488-michael-kors-nyse-kors-skyrocketing-on-sparkling-2012-forecast.aspxZipcar (Nasdaq: ZIP) shares tumble on weak guidancehttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3487-zipcar-nasdaq-zip-shares-tumble-on-weak-guidance.aspxNorthern, WI 2/14/12 (StreetBeat) – Car-sharing service Zipcar Inc. (Nasdaq: ZIP) said Tuesday it posted a $3.9 million fourth-quarter profit, reversing a loss in the same quarter last year.

But the company warned that it expects to post a loss and lower-than-expected revenue for the current quarter. Zipcar shares tumbled $2.44, or 15.1 percent, to $13.70 in morning trading. They dropped as low as $13.51 at one point.

The Cambridge, Mass.-based company's profit amounted to 9 cents per share and compared with a loss of $1.1 million, or 17 cents per share, in the 2010 period.

The recent quarter's results included a gain on the sale of zero-emission vehicle credits of $2.5 million, while the year-ago period included a gain of $1.2 million for that. Excluding the credits sale, profit in the recent quarter was $1.4 million.

Revenue rose 21 percent to $62.9 million from $52.1 million, as membership increased 25 percent to more than 673,000 drivers at the end of the quarter.

Analysts, on average, expected break-even earnings per share and $63.2 million in revenue, according to a FactSet poll.

Zipcar, founded in 2000, offers users a twist on the typical rental-car business. Instead of going to a rental lot, members reserve a car that's parked nearby, which they unlock with a keycard. Zipcar doesn't require members to keep the car an entire day; rather, the cars can be rented out by the hour.

Usage revenue, or the hourly charges members pay to use Zipcar vehicles, rose 18 percent to $53.3 million. Fee revenue, which was substantially the rest of the total, rose to 15 percent of total revenue from 12 percent a year ago.

Revenue from Zipcar's established markets of Boston, New York, Washington and San Francisco increased 22 percent to $35.6 million.

For the full year 2012, Zipcar's loss shrank to $7.2 million, or 24 cents per share, from $14.1 million, or $2.74 per share, in 2010. Revenue rose to $241.6 million from $186.1 million.

The company expects to post a first-quarter loss of between $4 million and $5 million and a full-year profit of between $2 million and $6 million.

Zipcar estimates revenue in the first-quarter, which is typically its slowest period, between $58 million to $60 million. It forecast full-year revenue of $290 million to $296 million.

Analysts polled by FactSet expect first-quarter revenue of $60.3 million and full-year revenue of $293.2 million.

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]]>Steve KanavalTue, 14 Feb 2012 16:10:34 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3487-zipcar-nasdaq-zip-shares-tumble-on-weak-guidance.aspxChina Global Media (OTCBB: CGLO) Announces US $4.9 Million Home Textile Advertisement Agreementhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3486-china-global-media-otcbb-cglo-announces-us-49-million-home-textile-advertisement-agreement.aspxPalm Beach, FL 2/14/12 (StreetBeat) – China Global Media, Inc.'s (OTCBB: CGLO) affiliated operating company Changsha Zhongte Trade Advertising Co., Ltd. has signed an advertisement agreement with Luolai Home Textile Co., Ltd. ("Luolai"). Luolai is one the of top home textile manufacturing and sales companies in China. Under this agreement, Zhongte will place advertisements for Luolai's home textile products on Hunan Satellite Television Channel. The term of the agreement is nine months, from March 2012 to November 2012. The total advertisement fee under this agreement is approximately US $4.9 Million.

About China Global Media, Inc.

China Global Media, Inc. mainly engages in the business of advertisement and brand name development in China, especially in Hunan Province and other southern Chinese provinces. It carries out business operations through its Hong Kong subsidiary Phoenix International (China) Limited, its Chinese subsidiary Hunan Beiwei International Media Consulting Co., Ltd., and, by contractual arrangement, its three affiliated operating entities including Changsha North Latitude 30 Cultural Communications Co., Ltd., Changsha Beichen Cultural Communications Co., Ltd. and Changsha Zhongte Trade Advertising Co., Ltd.

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]]>Andy DufraneTue, 14 Feb 2012 15:53:34 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3486-china-global-media-otcbb-cglo-announces-us-49-million-home-textile-advertisement-agreement.aspxSyntroleum Corporation (Nasdaq: SYNM) Trading + 30%http://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3485-syntroleum-corporation-nasdaq-synm-trading-30.aspxPalm Beach, FL 2/14/12 (StreetBeat) – Dynamic Fuels, LLC, operator of the first commercial advanced biofuels plant in the United States, has entered into strategic marketing alliance, commercial off-take and supply chain management agreements with Mansfield Oil Company ("Mansfield") to efficiently distribute synthetic renewable diesel to the commercial fleet vehicle market.

Dynamic Fuels is a 50/50 venture of Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE:TSN) and Syntroleum Corporation (Nasdaq:SYNM) that produces next-generation renewable and synthetic fuels from animal fats and greases. The company's Geismar, Louisiana, plant has the design capacity to produce 75 million gallons of renewable diesel, naphtha and LPG per year, of which the primary product is ASTM D975 renewable diesel. Because of its molecular properties (it's a pure hydrocarbon), renewable diesel is a "drop in" fuel that can replace 100% of petroleum diesel in a diesel engine without engine modification.

"Renewable diesel is a sustainable, ultra clean burning, high cetane fuel that reduces carbon emissions up to 70% and significantly reduces particulates and NOx when combusted in existing diesel engines," stated Ron Stinebaugh, senior vice president of Syntroleum Corporation. "We believe our relationship with Mansfield will allow Dynamic Fuels to provide a seamless supply of renewable diesel to fleet customers at prices comparable to ultra-low sulphur diesel, as well as a petroleum diesel backstop if necessary, to ensure reliable supply. Mansfield is the biggest fuel supply chain company in the industry, which gives Dynamic Fuels access to the largest, most recognizable fleet operators in the United States."

Under the strategic marketing alliance, Dynamic Fuels and Mansfield will jointly market renewable diesel. This is expected to provide Dynamic Fuels access to Mansfield's existing commercial accounts while expanding Mansfield's large portfolio of renewable fuel products for its customers. In addition, company officials believe the commercial off-take agreement will also help ensure Dynamic Fuels has immediate access to fleet markets for its renewable diesel. The supply chain management agreement allows Dynamic Fuels to outsource supply chain services to Mansfield, including logistics management, customer service support, invoicing and billing services.

Mansfield markets and distributes over 2.5 billion gallons of fueling products per year to thousands of commercial customers across all 50 states and Canada.

"We're impressed by Dynamic Fuels' position as one of the leading renewable diesel producers in the United States and are confident they will remain the industry leader and a key partner for us," said Doug Haugh, president of Mansfield Oil Company. "Through this partnership, we're working to distribute renewable diesel directly to our fleet customers who are interested in increasing the renewable content of the fuels they consume."

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]]>Andy DufraneTue, 14 Feb 2012 15:46:08 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3485-syntroleum-corporation-nasdaq-synm-trading-30.aspxRackspace (NYSE: RAX) Spikes On Q4 Beat; Benchmark Ups To Buyhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3484-rackspace-nyse-rax-spikes-on-q4-beat-benchmark-ups-to-buy.aspxPalm Beach, FL 2/14/12 (StreetBeat) – Rackspace (NYSE: RAX) shares are trading sharply higher Tuesday morning following the company’s better-than-expected Q4 financial report after the close on Monday.

As I noted late yesterday, the company reported revenue of $283 million, up 7.1% from Q3 and 32% from a year ago, and ahead of the Street at $281 million. Profits of 18 cents a share topped the Street at 15 cents. Adjusted EBITDA of $102 million was up 16.2% sequentially and 42% year-over-year, and ahead of the Street at $94.5 million.

Benchmark Co. analyst Clayton Moran this morning responded to the report by raising his rating on the stock to Buy from Hold.

“Rackspace reported strong Q4 results while indicating trends should drive similar performance in 2012,” he writes in a research note. “We raise our estimates to reflect sustained high growth and solid margins. We now forecast over 30% y/y EBITDA growth in both 2012 and 2013. Using 18x 2012E EBITDA, which is 14x 2013E, our price target rises from $45 to $60 per share.”

RAX this morning is up $3.79, or 7.7%, to $53.02.

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]]>Andy DufraneTue, 14 Feb 2012 15:14:10 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3484-rackspace-nyse-rax-spikes-on-q4-beat-benchmark-ups-to-buy.aspxFrogAds Shares Hop on Signing of Pamela Anderson as Spokespersonhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3483-frogads-shares-hop-on-signing-of-pamela-anderson-as-spokesperson.aspxTallahassee, FL 2/14/12 (StreetBeat) -- Saying that Valentine’s Day came early, FrogAds, Inc. (OTCBB:FROG) is seeing its shares rising slightly in trading today upon news that the company has signed Pamela Anderson as a new celebrity spokesperson for its Video News Release campaign.

“I’m looking forward to working with FrogAds.com to enhance its brand awareness,” said Anderson in a company press release.
Pamela Anderson has become one of the most recognizable names in the entertainment industry as a model, actress, mother, entrepreneur and philanthropist and has appeared on more magazine covers than any other star of her generation. The Guinness Book of World Records has even dubbed her “most downloaded,” making her perfectly suited to represent FrogAds.com’s groundbreaking online social media platform, according to the company’s report.
The company seems to be looking to leverage Anderson’s uber-popularity and the awareness that the Facebook IPO is bringing to social networking to showcase the enormous potential in monetizing its website. FrogAds.com is a free global marketplace for both classifieds and auction that enables users to post ads, photos and videos, making them visible to the global marketplace. The site has married the fundamentals of other booming websites such as eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY), Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN), YouTube and Craigslist to create a one-of-a-kind advertising infrastructure.
“I couldn’t be more excited to have Pamela Anderson involved with my company as I, like the Frog, am a huge fan of Pamela, dating back to her first Playboy issue,” said Julian Spitari, Founder & CEO of FrogAds.com.
The company recently hired celebrity endorsement expert, Dayna Zegarelli, to identify a celebrity spokesperson that best identifies with the FrogAds.com brand. Zegarelli said that Anderson was the obvious choice.

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]]>Steve KanavalTue, 14 Feb 2012 14:38:00 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3483-frogads-shares-hop-on-signing-of-pamela-anderson-as-spokesperson.aspxFair Labor Association begins independent audits of Foxconn factorieshttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3482-fair-labor-association-begins-independent-audits-of-foxconn-factories.aspxTallahassee, FL 2/14/12 (StreetBeat) – Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) announced on Monday that independent third-party inspections of its final assembly plants in China have officially begun in "Foxconn City." The factory in Shenzhen is one of several facilities that will be audited by the Fair Labor Association, a labor rights activist group that admitted Apple as a member in January.

Factories owned by Foxconn, Quanta, and Pegatron—responsible for final assembly of over 90 percent of Apple's computers, iPhones, iPads, and other accessories—will be inspected by a team of labor rights experts led by FLA President Auret van Heerden. The team will reportedly interview employees, inspect safety equipment and worker dormitories, and examine all available documentation on worker safety, wages, and working hours. Apple's suppliers have reportedly agreed to cooperate fully with FLA's inspection team.

Apple said that the results of the independent audits of Foxconn facilities should be available on the FLA website in early March, while audits of Quanta and Pegatron facilities should be published in "late Spring."

The FLA inspections come shortly after details of working conditions in China sparked a controversy in light of Apple's soaring profits. Apple first began dealing with workers' rights issues when a 2006 investigation revealed widespread abuse of China's labor laws; since then, Apple has performed its own yearly audits and publishes the results in a public report. The company announced its partnership with the Fair Labor Association when it released the results of its 2011 audit in January.

"We believe that workers everywhere have the right to a safe and fair work environment, which is why we've asked the FLA to independently assess the performance of our largest suppliers," Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement on Monday. "The inspections now underway are unprecedented in the electronics industry, both in scale and scope, and we appreciate the FLA agreeing to take the unusual step of identifying the factories in their reports."

Despite the audits, labor activists believe Apple should do more than try to make sure factories are operating within Chinese law. "Although we think Apple is among the best in terms of auditing, we still think that Apple can do more because it is the most profitable company in the world," activist Li Qiang, founder of China Labor Watch, said. "As soon as Apple is willing to give a small percentage of its profits, the workers can benefit a lot. But Apple is not willing to do that."

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]]>Ashley MontgomeryTue, 14 Feb 2012 14:27:54 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3482-fair-labor-association-begins-independent-audits-of-foxconn-factories.aspxU.S. says Google’s (Nasdaq: GOOG) acquisition of Motorola is a gohttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3481-us-says-googles-nasdaq-goog-acquisition-of-motorola-is-a-go.aspxTallahassee, FL 2/14/12 (StreetBeat) -- Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) headquarters must be all high-fives today. Just hours after the European Commission cleared the company’s proposed acquisition of Motorola (NYSE: MMI), the U.S. Department of Justice has given its approval on the deal as well.

“The division concluded that the specific transactions at issue are not likely to significantly change existing market dynamics,” the Department of Justice said in a press release today that concerned Google’s Motorola acquisition and its approval of the Nortel and Novell patent sales to other major tech companies.

The U.S. and EU had been looking closely at the Google acquisition of Motorola because of possible antitrust issues. There were apparent concerns that Motorola could be given unfair advantage when it came to Android mobile operating system that is developed by Google and embedded in Motorola phones and tablets.

Google deflected those concerns by saying that it is in the company’s best interest to maintain the Android ecosystem and not give Motorola advantages over mobile device manufacturers such as Samsung, HTC, and LG.

The primary reason Google said it wants Motorola is to own its patents, which will help Google better defend Android from lawsuits. Motorola Mobility has some 17,000 patents, and it has another several thousand patents pending approval. That will make for one heck of a shield when other companies like Microsoft, Apple, and Oracle try to attack Android and its manufacturing partners.

In a related note, the Department of Justice’s press release about Google and Motorola also announced that it had approved a deal for a consortium including Microsoft, Apple, and RIM to buy Nortel’s patent portfolio. The release also states that Apple has won approval to buy some of Novell’s patents.

“After a thorough review of the proposed transactions, the Antitrust Division has determined that each acquisition is unlikely to substantially lessen competition and has closed these three investigations,” the DOJ said. “In all of the transactions, the division conducted an in-depth analysis into the potential ability and incentives of the acquiring firms to use the patents they proposed acquiring to foreclose competitors.”

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]]>Ashley MontgomeryTue, 14 Feb 2012 14:13:38 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3481-us-says-googles-nasdaq-goog-acquisition-of-motorola-is-a-go.aspx3 Things To Know Before Tradinghttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3480-3-things-to-know-before-trading.aspxTallahassee, FL 2/14/12 (StreetBeat) -- Stocks were mixed in Asian trade. Australia was down one percent and Shanghai fell 0.3%, but the Nikkei added 0.6% and the Hang Seng was up a slight fraction. European indexes are generally higher this morning, with the Dax up a third of a percent and the Footsie better by a slight fraction. US stock indexes are essentially unchanged as I write.

*The Bank of Japan kept its key overnight rate steady at zero to 0.10% and they kept their credit loan program unchanged at Y35 trillion. But they increased their asset purchase fund to Y30 trillion from Y20 trillion. BoJ Governor Shirakawa made clear the extension of the asset purchase fund will be put to work buying a sizable amount of JGBs.

*Because of their susceptibility to “growing financial and macroeconomic risks” from the euro area debt crisis, Moody’s yesterday afternoon lowered the credit rating and/or outlook for nine European countries. Moody’s lowered ratings for Spain, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Slovakia and Slovenia. The rating outlook was changed to negative for Austria, France and the UK.

*The February reading of the Euro Zone’s ZEW Survey of Economic Sentiment was much improved, up to -8.1 from -32.5 the month before.

*The February reading of Germany’s ZEW Survey of Economic Sentiment was also much better than expected, rising to +5.4 from -21.6 the month before; it had been forecast to be -11.8. The ZEW Current Situation component was up twelve points on the month to 40.3, ten points more than expected.

*The Q4 reading of Greek GDP was -7.0% year on year, on a not seasonally adjusted basis; worse than the -5.0% GDP in Q3. Portuguese GDP was -2.7% year on year in Q4, matching the expectation, but down from -1.8% in the previous quarter.

*A meeting of the Greek government cabinet has been postponed by an hour to 8:00am CST.

*The January reading of the NFIB Small Business Optimism Index was up one tenth from the month before to 93.9, short of the expected result of 95.0; but that is the fifth consecutive increase for the index, the best streak in several years.

*The January reading of Retail Sales is due out at 7:30am CST. Headline Sales are expected to be +0.8% month on month and the estimate for Sales Ex-autos is +0.5%. Also set for release at 7:30am is the January reading of the Import Price Index, forecast to be +0.3% on the month. The December reading of Business Inventories is due out at 9:00am CST, it is expected to be up 0.5% from the month before.

*The Fed is scheduled to buy Treasuries today that are due to mature between 2/15/20 and 11/15/21; the results of the operation will be announced just after 10:00am CST.

*There are a couple of Fed speakers on the calendar today, including: Philly Fed’s Plosser, who will talk about the economy at 7:45am CST and Atlanta Fed boss Lockhart, who will discuss the economic outlook at 4:40pm CST.

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]]>Ashley MontgomeryTue, 14 Feb 2012 13:57:43 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3480-3-things-to-know-before-trading.aspxSteve Jobs gets a Grammy, one award out of Adele’s reachhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3479-steve-jobs-gets-a-grammy-one-award-out-of-adeles-reach.aspxNorthern, WI 2/13/12 (StreetBeat) -- The late Steve Jobs was honored with a Grammy Trustees Award on Saturday for his contributions to the music industry, which included helping to develop the iPod and reshaping the way music is sold with the iTunes Store.

The award is meant to “recognize contributions to the music industry in areas other than performance,” CBS News reports, and was accepted by Apple’s SVP of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue.



“Accepting this award means so much to me because music meant so much to him,” Cue said at the awards ceremony. “He told us that music shaped his life. It made him who he was. Everyone who knows Steve knows the profound impact that artists like Bob Dylan and the Beatles had on him.”

Apple was previously awarded a technical Grammy in 2002, but this award is meant specifically for Jobs. Other recipients of this year’s Trustees Awards include band leader Dave Bartholomew and jazz engineer Rudy Van Gelder. Past winners include Walt Disney and The Beatles, two names we’re sure Jobs wouldn’t mind standing alongside.

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]]>Steve KanavalMon, 13 Feb 2012 18:12:55 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3479-steve-jobs-gets-a-grammy-one-award-out-of-adeles-reach.aspxSony Music Raises Price of Whitney Houston's Hits on iTunes By More Than 60% After Singer's Deathhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3478-sony-music-raises-price-of-whitney-houstons-hits-on-itunes-by-more-than-60-after-singers-death.aspxNorthern, WI 2/13/12 (StreetBeat) -- Sony Music (NYSE: SNE) has come under fire after it increased the price of a Whitney Houston album on Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) iTunes Store hours after the singer was found dead.

The music giant is understood to have lifted the wholesale price of Houston's greatest hits album, The Ultimate Collection, at about 4am California time on Sunday. This meant that the iTunes retail price of the album automatically increased from £4.99 to £7.99.

Houston's The Ultimate Collection, originally released in 1997, was the second top-selling album on iTunes on Monday morning. Apple returned the album to its original price late on Sunday.

Music fans described the move as a cynical attempt to capitalise on Houston's in-demand greatest hits records. The price hike came as tributes flooded in for the singer, whose catalogue includes hits such as I Wanna Dance With Somebody and I Will Always Love You. Houston was found dead in her Los Angeles hotel room on Saturday afternoon, local time, at the age of 48.

The change happened when Sony Music, which owns the rights to much of Houston's back catalogue, increased the wholesale price of The Ultimate Collection. This automatically boosted the retail price of the popular album, although Apple is responsible setting the price paid by music fans.

It is understood that the change occurred after Sony Music reviewed Houston's iTunes catalogue after the singer was pronounced dead.

One insider close to the situation said the price hike was not a "cynical" move – but that the wholesale price of Houston's The Ultimate Collection was wrong. The change in wholesale price boosted the album's retail price on iTunes.

Houston's The Ultimate Collection and Whitney – The Greatest Hits were in the top three albums on iTunes at noon on Monday.

Apple and Sony Music declined to comment.

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]]>Steve KanavalMon, 13 Feb 2012 18:01:00 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3478-sony-music-raises-price-of-whitney-houstons-hits-on-itunes-by-more-than-60-after-singers-death.aspxRegeneron (Nasdaq: REGN) climbs after raising Eylea sales outlookhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3477-regeneron-nasdaq-regn-climbs-after-raising-eylea-sales-outlook.aspxNorthern, WI 2/13/12 (StreetBeat) – Shares of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: REGN) jumped Monday after the company predicted much stronger sales of its eye drug Eylea.

Regeneron launched Eylea in November and said sales during the fourth quarter totaled $24.8 million. It now expects $250 million to $300 million in U.S. sales of the drug in 2012, up from its previous forecast of $140 million to $160 million.

Regeneron stock jumped $11.18, or 11.percent, to $113.26 in morning trading.

The Food and Drug Administration approved Eylea on Nov. 18 as a treatment for "wet" age-related macular degeneration, or wet AMD, which is a common cause of blindness. Eylea was the first drug approved to treat the disease since Roche's drug Lucentis in 2006. Patients who take Eylea don't have to see their doctor as often as patients who take Lucentis, and patients who take Eylea may not need to use it as often. One clinical study indicated that Eylea was more effective than Lucentis after a year of treatment.

Regeneron has asked the FDA to approve Eylea as a treatment for a second eye condition, central retinal vein occlusion, and its partner Bayer HealthCare is seeking approval to market Eylea in Japan and the European Union.

In the fourth quarter, Regeneron lost $53.4 million, or 58 cents per share. A year earlier it took a loss of $14.6 million, or 17 cents per share. Revenue fell 8 percent to $123 million from $133.7 million, because of a decrease in revenue from collaborations with other drugmakers.

Analysts expected the company to report a loss of 60 cents per share and $132 million in revenue, according to FactSet.

After the approval of Eylea, Regeneron's product sales climbed to $29.8 million from $5.3 million. The company also sells Arcalyst, which is used to treat a group of rare, inherited auto-inflammatory conditions called CAPS. It is trying to get Arcalyst approved as a treatment for gout. Revenue from a partnership with Sanofi of France fell to $77 million from $82.1 million, and revenue from other collaborations dropped to $9.4 million from $34.9 million.

In 2011, Regeneron lost $221.8 million, or $2.45 per share, compared with a 2010 loss of $104.5 million, or $1.26 per share. Annual revenue fell 3 percent to $445.8 million from $459.1 million.

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]]>Steve KanavalMon, 13 Feb 2012 17:30:59 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3477-regeneron-nasdaq-regn-climbs-after-raising-eylea-sales-outlook.aspxPacific Biosciences (Nasdaq: PACB) Releases Next Generation Chemistry and Software for DNA Sequencing Systemhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3476-pacific-biosciences-nasdaq-pacb-releases-next-generation-chemistry-and-software-for-dna-sequencing-system.aspxNorthern, WI 2/13/12 (StreetBeat) – Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. (NASDAQ: PACB), provider of Single Molecule Real Time (SMRT®) sequencing products, today announced it has released a major upgrade to its PacBio® RS system, referred to as “C2”, including new chemistry, enhanced SMRT Cells and upgraded software, which together provide customers with significant performance increases for DNA sequencing. The company and numerous customers will discuss their progress with the platform through a total of 50 presentations and posters at the 2012 Advances in Genome Biology & Technology (AGBT) meeting this week in Marco Island, Fla.

The PacBio RS is a revolutionary DNA sequencing system that reveals new biological insights by incorporating novel, single molecule sequencing techniques, advanced analytics, and long read lengths. Compared with the C1 versions launched with the system in April 2011, the PacBio C2 chemistry and software provide approximately:
• 2x increase in average read length;
• 3-4x improvement in mappable data per SMRT Cell;
• 50-80% reduction in input DNA required; and
• Consensus accuracy of Q50 (99.999%) at substantially lower coverage.

“The changes we’ve made with this upgrade enable significant performance increases and lay the foundation for ongoing enhancements to the PacBio RS,” said Mike Hunkapiller, Ph.D., Chairman and CEO of Pacific Biosciences. “We’re very proud of how far we’ve come in the nine months since we first released the product commercially, and even more proud of our customers’ achievements, many of which will be highlighted this week at AGBT.”

The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and The Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine are among the institutions that had early access to a preliminary version of the new chemistry.

“The Sanger Institute has seen significant improvements in performance compared to C1, enhancing our research projects in the areas of de novo genome assembly, sequencing through repetitive elements, enabling coverage of regions with extreme base composition, and improving genome assemblies,” said Harold Swerdlow, Ph.D., Head of Research and Development at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute.

Luke Tallon, Scientific Director of the Genomics Resource Center at IGS added: “Early access to the new chemistry has resulted in significantly improved read lengths compared to the original C1 chemistry. These longer reads have enhanced our de novo genome assembly of microbial genomes when combined with short-read data. The longer read lengths have also increased our ability to generate higher-accuracy circular consensus reads.”

The latest generation of SMRT Cells is more robust due to an improved manufacturing process, and the PacBio RS software has been enhanced for improved reliability and greater performance. To date, Pacific Biosciences has developed two whole product solutions that leverage the capabilities of the PacBio RS system to uniquely enable key customer applications: 1) de novo whole genome assembly and 2) targeted sequencing. As an example, the SMRT Analysis software incorporates The Genome Analysis Toolkit (GATK) developed by the Broad Institute. This provides a streamlined pipeline for variant analysis for targeted sequencing.

This week’s AGBT conference will feature a total of 35 presentations and posters from PacBio customers, largely highlighting the two key applications for the system. Scientists from PacBio will also present a total of 15 presentations and posters about the technology.

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]]>Steve KanavalMon, 13 Feb 2012 17:20:13 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3476-pacific-biosciences-nasdaq-pacb-releases-next-generation-chemistry-and-software-for-dna-sequencing-system.aspxApple's (Nadaq: AAPL) Stock Surges to $500; Market Value Near $500 Billionhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3475-apples-nadaq-aapl-stock-surges-to-500-market-value-near-500-billion.aspxOrlando, FL 2/13/12 (StreetBeat) – Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), whose price hit $500 for the first time on Monday, could be the first company ever to reach a trillion dollar valuation.

The tech giant's valuation is now nearly halfway to the 10-figure mark, with speculation Apple will launch iTV later this year driving shares to new record highs. Yet, Apple still has a way to go to become the most valuable company of all time.

Apple shares are up more than 20 percent year to date.
And with its price now around $500, the company's valuation is about $460 billion-roughly $8 billion more than the market caps percent of Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) ($198 billion) and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) ($257 billion) combined.

If Apple shares continue to hit new record levels, its market cap will reach $500 billion when the price reaches $537. Still, shares will need to rise another $100 above that level to put Apple in contention for the most expensive company ever.

According to Standard and Poor's, ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) was the most recent company to see a valuation north of $500 billion, back in 2007 when oil prices were at record highs.

Not surprisingly, it was the Tech Bubble of the last decade that first launched companies into rarified half trillion dollar market valuations levels. Between 1999 and 2000 Intel (Nasdaq: INTC), Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) and General Electric (NYSE: GE) all saw their valuations peak at around $500 billion. (GE is a minority shareholder in NBCUniversal)

While Microsoft may not excite investors like it did in Y2K, the software behemoth still holds the record for the most expensive valuation. Its market cap closed out 1999 at just over $600 billion according to Standard and Poor's, before peaking north of $650 billion during the tech bubble in 2000.

The high analyst price target on the street for Apple right now is $700. At that price, its market cap will handily surpass Microsoft's Y2K record.

The Apple TV was one of the last product initiatives spearheaded by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, before his death. If the entertainment device and platform prove as big a game changer as the company's iTunes, iPhone and iPad, Apple shares could well continue their record run.

With its current float of about 932 million shares outstanding, Apple shares would need to top $1073 to reach the Trillion Dollar mark.

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]]>Janice MeehanMon, 13 Feb 2012 17:06:00 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3475-apples-nadaq-aapl-stock-surges-to-500-market-value-near-500-billion.aspxChelsea Therapeutics (Nasdaq: CHTP) Shares Plunge on Drug Study Concernshttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3474-chelsea-therapeutics-nasdaq-chtp-shares-plunge-on-drug-study-concerns.aspxOrlando, FL 2/13/12 (StreetBeat) -- The prospects for Chelsea Therapeutics’ (Nasdaq: CHTP) experimental drug to treat low blood pressure in people with Parkinson’s disease and other disorders aren’t looking good.

The company says today that US officials are concerned about the safety and effectiveness of the drug Northera, which is scheduled next week to face a panel of government expert advisers who will weigh the pros and cons of approving the treatment.

Shares of Chelsea dropped 36% to $3.21 in early trading Monday. The drop erased all the stock’s gains over the past year.

Three deaths were noted in a company trial of Northera “as being possibly related to the study drug.” The drug aims to treat neurogenic orthostatic hypotension, or NOH, a condition common in patients with Parkinson’s disease and related disorders. NOH is often characterized by dizziness, fatigue and fainting. The company has asked the Food and Drug Administration to approve the treatment for sale in the US. The FDA advisory panel, which is scheduled to meet February 23, is a prelude to a possible approval. The panel advises the FDA on the merits of a drug that’s being considered for sale in the US.

It’s rare for a company to come out prior to an advisory meeting with these kind of details. Generally, FDA staff puts out a report a couple of days before the meeting, giving the public an insight into the agency’s thinking. Chelsea executives cited these FDA briefing documents in making its announcement about the agency’s concerns.

“We wanted to take this opportunity to update our shareholders on several lines of inquiry that have emerged as significant components of the benefit-risk analysis of Northera,” Chelsea CEO Simon Pedder says in a statement. “A number of these questions relate to previously discussed issues identified by our development program, namely the short duration of our clinical studies, the limited size of our study population given the orphan indication and the challenges in quantifying symptomatic and clinical benefits.

“FDA has, however placed increased emphasis on safety data” from research conducted in Japan, he adds. While Chelsea is analyzing Northera for cardiovascular risk, the company says it has not found “meaningful evidence” that the treatment caused deaths or serious events.

Pedder also speaks before a biotech-industry sponsored event in New York this morning.

The new details add up to much more scrutiny over Northera than many investors expected. The FDA staff briefing documents likely will tear into the company’s application. FDA advisers probably will be more inclined to heavily scrutinize the drug, and that raises questions whether the product can be approved.

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]]>Janice MeehanMon, 13 Feb 2012 16:53:30 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3474-chelsea-therapeutics-nasdaq-chtp-shares-plunge-on-drug-study-concerns.aspxPrivate equity firm to buy SeraCare (Nasdaq: SRLS) for about $78Mhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3473-private-equity-firm-to-buy-seracare-nasdaq-srls-for-about-78m.aspxPalm Beach, FL 2/13/12 (StreetBeat) -- SeraCare Life Sciences Inc. (Nasdaq: SRLS) has agreed to a buyout offer worth about $77.7 million from the private equity firm Linden Capital Partners.

SeraCare, based in Milford, Mass., performs contract research services, and its portfolio includes diagnostic controls and molecular biomarkers. Linden Capital is a Chicago-based private equity firm that focuses on healthcare and life sciences.

Under terms of the deal announced Monday, Linden Capital will pay $4 for each SeraCare share, a 12 percent premium compared to the stock's closing price of $3.58 on Friday.

The company had about 19.4 million shares as of its latest earnings report.

SeraCare said the price represents a 25 percent premium to the 30-day volume-weighted average stock price.

Its board has unanimously recommended the deal to its shareholders who will get a chance to vote on it.

The companies expect the deal to close in the second quarter.

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]]>Janice MeehanMon, 13 Feb 2012 16:52:00 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3473-private-equity-firm-to-buy-seracare-nasdaq-srls-for-about-78m.aspxMayo Clinic Selects Complete Genomics (Nasdaq: GNOM) to Provide Outsourced Whole Genome Sequencinghttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3472-mayo-clinic-selects-complete-genomics-nasdaq-gnom-to-provide-outsourced-whole-genome-sequencing.aspxPalm Beach, FL 2/13/12 (StreetBeat) -- Complete Genomics Inc. (Nasdaq: GNOM) announced today that it has been selected by Mayo Clinic's Center for Individualized Medicine to provide outsourced whole human genome sequencing. Mayo Clinic researchers will now be able to employ Complete Genomics' sequencing service for some of its large-scale whole genome sequencing projects.

The Center for Individualized Medicine operates a comprehensive sequencing laboratory in its own Medical Genome Facility, but it determined that collaboration with Complete Genomics could supplement the services available to its community of medical researchers. Under the terms of the agreement, Mayo Clinic can send genetic material to Complete Genomics for sequencing and analysis. It will continue to operate and invest in its Medical Genome Facility. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.

"Mayo Clinic, through the Center for Individualized Medicine, already has several high-impact genome- and epigenome-based studies underway in individualized care for our patients," said Gianrico Farrugia, M.D., director of Mayo Clinic's Center for Individualized Medicine. "Access to quality whole genome sequencing services can only expedite our efforts to improve care for all of our patients with new individualized medicine tools and techniques."

"It is exciting to see a world-renowned healthcare organization like Mayo Clinic take the next step towards bringing high-quality whole genome sequencing data into the clinic. They clearly recognize its potential to personalize treatment options and improve the future quality of patient care," said Leroy Hood, M.D., Ph.D., president of the Institute for Systems Biology and a member of Complete Genomics' Scientific Advisory Board. "This is a big step toward the realization of personalized medicine."

"For well over a century, Mayo Clinic has been an innovator and leader in translating cutting-edge clinical research into world-class patient care and treatment," said Clifford Reid, Ph.D., chairman, president and CEO of Complete Genomics. "We are honored to be partnering with Mayo Clinic researchers to provide sequencing and analysis for their genomic studies and investigations."

Projects will be coordinated with the Center of Individualized Medicine's Medical Genome Facility and will help expedite Mayo Clinic's translational genomics-based programs. Through these initiatives, Mayo Clinic will develop best practices for using genetic information to guide patient care.

Mayo's effort is part of a growing trend in medicine to collect and analyze the genetic information from consenting patients to optimize medical care in a variety of disciplines, including cancer diagnosis and treatment, drug therapy, disease prevention, and many others. This information could also be used by doctors to advise patients about lifestyle changes that could help prevent or delay disease onset.

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]]>Andy DufraneMon, 13 Feb 2012 16:20:39 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3472-mayo-clinic-selects-complete-genomics-nasdaq-gnom-to-provide-outsourced-whole-genome-sequencing.aspxecoSolutions Intl (PK: ECOI) Announces Rescission of Golden Hills Transactionhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3471-ecosolutions-intl-pk-ecoi-announces-rescission-of-golden-hills-transaction.aspxTallahassee, FL 2/13/12 (StreetBeat) -- ecoSolutions Intl (Pinksheets: ECOI) announced Friday that its recently completed acquisition of all of the outstanding stock of Golden Hills Resources, Inc., a company with gold mining claims in Gayana, has been rescinded by mutual agreement of the parties. As a result of such rescission, the Golden Hills stock has been returned to its former owners and all shares of the Company issued in the transaction have been cancelled by Company. The Company now has outstanding approximately 2.5 million shares of common stock. Bill Patridge, the Chairman of the Company, stated that "notwithstanding this rescission, the Company will continue to pursue gold and silver properties and projects in the future."

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]]>Ashley MontgomeryMon, 13 Feb 2012 16:07:05 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3471-ecosolutions-intl-pk-ecoi-announces-rescission-of-golden-hills-transaction.aspxSauer Energy (OTCBB: SENY) Rejects City Windmills, Inc. Purchasehttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3470-sauer-energy-otcbb-seny-rejects-city-windmills-inc-purchase.aspxTallahassee, FL 2/13/12 (StreetBeat) -- Sauer Energy, Inc. ("SEI") (OTCBB: SENY), a developer of home and enterprise scale vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) systems, announced Friday that the opportunity to purchase City Windmills, Inc., a Delaware corporation, has been declined based primarily on the probable monetary impact to Sauer operations.

Presently, all talks, negotiations and due diligence has been stopped with no further attempts planned to continue with this acquisition.

Full termination is declared and all offers are off the table, including any and all management offers.

"Our shareholders come first. We feel that if we would have continued with this acquisition, our vision and focus would have been changed. The strategies we have planned are sound and our goals attainable. We prefer to stay on our intended path," stated Dieter Sauer, CEO and President of Sauer Energy, Inc.

This transaction did not meet Sauer Energy's due diligence scrutiny. Moreover, this acquisition could not justify the dilution of SENY stock. Devoting full attention to City Windmills, Inc., operations and the liabilities to Sauer Energy attached, did not contain any feasible viability. The operations of Sauer Energy would be impeded instead of enhanced.

"Our sales and vision are strategically compelling and with the strong demand for our product, the necessary value our shareholders require does not need to come from mergers at this time. Our long-term value will be delivered without any further disruptions," Mr. Sauer stated further.

Presently, Sauer Energy is moving forward to completing the necessary short-term goals to have sales this quarter, as planned.

We thank each and every one of you for your loyalty and support. Without you, we would not be where we are. This is a very exciting time and we look forward to seeing WindChargers™ nationwide.

About Sauer Energy

Sauer Energy is a technology developer and manufacturer focused on the emerging renewable energy market. We believe that because it requires few parts, SEI's technology, which provides a new direction for wind capture, will easily scale from residential to small community and up to large industrial scale. The market opportunity for a new, innovative technology is unlimited. Sauer Energy has created the WindCharger™ model to provide a better solution for the use of wind capture for residential or small building use.

The WindCharger™ was one of Sauer Energy's key innovation priorities. With several patents in place, SEI shall engage in manufacturing and commercialization in early 2012, and plans to see a financial return on its investments.

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]]>Ashley MontgomeryMon, 13 Feb 2012 15:42:30 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3470-sauer-energy-otcbb-seny-rejects-city-windmills-inc-purchase.aspxRegeneca (PK: RGNA) Recalls RegenArouse Due to Possible Health Riskhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3469-regeneca-pk-rgna-recalls-regenarouse-due-to-possible-health-risk.aspxTallahassee, FL 2/13/12 (StreetBeat)-- Wellness product maker Regenca, Inc. (Pink Sheets:RGNA) reported on Saturday that it is conducting a voluntary nationwide recall of Lot Number 130100 of RegenArouse because Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lab analysis has confirmed the presence of Tadalafil (Brand names: Adcirca, Cialis) making these products unapproved new drugs. Tadalafil is an FDA-approved drug for Erectile Dysfunction, but the active drug ingredient is not listed on the label for the RegenArouse product.

Sold online to consumers in the States and Puerto Rico between November 29, 2011 and February 10, 2012, Lot Number 130100 of RegenArouse is a pink capsule sold individually in foil packets, with the expiration date of 12/5/2013 and a UPC code of 816860010079. Customers are advised to return their product with matching lot number and UPC code for an exchange or full refund. Any adverse reactions should be reported to FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program (http://www.fda.gov/MedWatch/report.htm).

According to the company, the specific batch had been tested previously and no PDE-5 inhibitors were detected, but then learned that there was an error in the testing, so they are conducting the recall. The company is currently improving their testing procedures.

Use of these products may pose a threat to consumers because it may interact with nitrates found in some prescription drugs (such as nitroglycerin) and may lower blood pressure to dangerous levels. Consumers with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or heart disease often take nitrates and Erectile Dysfunction is a common problem in men with these conditions; resulting in the potential interaction of the drugs.

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]]>Ashley MontgomeryMon, 13 Feb 2012 15:13:17 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3469-regeneca-pk-rgna-recalls-regenarouse-due-to-possible-health-risk.aspx3 Things To Know Before Tradinghttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3468-3-things-to-know-before-trading.aspxTallahassee, FL 2/13/12 (StreetBeat) -- Stocks were generally higher in Asian trade. Australia added almost one percent, while the Hang Seng and Nikkei were both up about a half percent, but Shanghai was flat on the session. European indexes are broadly higher this morning, with the Footsie up one percent and the Dax higher by 0.8%. US stock futures are up about three quarters of a percent as I write.

*The Q4 reading of Japan’s GDP was much weaker than expected at -2.3% on an annualized basis, the estimate was for -1.3%.

*The Greek parliament passed the budget containing the new austerity measures on Sunday and will now bring the finished product to Brussels for approval at a Wednesday meeting of the EuroGroup. There were riots in the streets in response to the vote. And speaking of voting, there will be national elections in April to replace the interim government led by Papademos, a government official reiterated today.

*The Obama administration is set to issue its fiscal year 2013 budget proposal today.

*The Fed is scheduled to buy Treasuries today that are due to mature between 2/15/36 and 11/15/41; the results of the operation will be announced just after 10:00am CST.

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]]>Ashley MontgomeryMon, 13 Feb 2012 14:58:00 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3468-3-things-to-know-before-trading.aspxSocial Networking Stock Alert: LinkedIn (NYSE:LNKD) Trades Up on Fourth Quarter Newshttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3467-social-networking-stock-alert-linkedin-nyselnkd-trades-up-on-fourth-quarter-news.aspxTallahassee, FL 2/10/12 (StreetBeat) -- LinkedIn Corporation (NYSE:LNKD) is trading up at $84.64 8.25(10.80%) 10:10AM EST, with a morning high of $86.10.

The Company reported its financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended December 31, 2011 on the close yesterday.

Summary of Results
•Revenue for the fourth quarter was $167.7 million, an increase of 105% compared to $81.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2010
•Net income for the fourth quarter was $6.9 million, compared to net income of $5.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2010; Non-GAAP net income for the fourth quarter was $13.3 million, compared to $5.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2010. Non-GAAP measures exclude tax-affected stock-based compensation expense and tax-affected amortization of acquired intangible assets
•Adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter was $34.4 million, or 21% of revenue, compared to $16.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2010, or 20% of revenue
•GAAP EPS for the fourth quarter was $0.06; Non-GAAP EPS for the fourth quarter was $0.12
•For the full year 2011, revenue increased 115% to $522.2 million from $243.1 million. GAAP EPS increased to $0.11 from $0.07 and Non-GAAP EPS increased to $0.35 from $0.24. Adjusted EBITDA increased to $98.7 million from $48.0 million

"Q4 once again exceeded our expectations for member engagement and business growth. It was a fitting end to a memorable year in which we reinforced our position as the pre-eminent professional network on the web," said Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn. "We believe continued focus on our members and technology infrastructure positions us well for accelerated product innovation in 2012."

About LinkedIn (NYSE:LNKD)

Founded in 2003, LinkedIn connects the world's professionals to make them more productive and successful. With more than 150 million members worldwide, including executives from every Fortune 500 company, LinkedIn is the world's largest professional network on the Internet. The company has a diversified business model with revenues coming from member subscriptions, marketing solutions and hiring solutions. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, LinkedIn has offices across the globe.

About InvestorIdeas.com:
InvestorIdeas.com is a leader in investor stock research by sector. Sectors we cover include; cleantech and renewable energy stocks, biotech stocks, mining and gold stocks, energy stocks, water, tech, defense stocks, nanotech, agriculture and gaming.

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Disclaimer: Our sites do not make recommendations. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. We attempt to research thoroughly, but we offer no guarantees as to the accuracy of information presented. All Information relating to featured companies is sourced from public documents and/ or the company and is not the opinion of our web sites. This site is currently compensated by featured companies, news submissions and online advertising. www.InvestorIdeas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp
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]]>Ashley MontgomeryFri, 10 Feb 2012 17:18:57 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3467-social-networking-stock-alert-linkedin-nyselnkd-trades-up-on-fourth-quarter-news.aspxImperial Sugar (NASDAQ:IPSU ) Up Over 12% In Spite of Recent Health Warnings on Sugarhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3466-imperial-sugar-nasdaqipsu-up-over-12-in-spite-of-recent-health-warnings-on-sugar.aspxTallahassee, FL 2/10/12 (StreetBeat) -- www.InvestorIdeas.com, a global investor research portal for independent investors, issues a trading alert for sugar company, Imperial Sugar Company (NASDAQ:IPSU). Imperial Sugar has moved up since it reported its financials yesterday, with the stock currently trading at $6.7950, up 0.7750(12.87%) 10:26AM EST.

With recent reports and headlines that sugar is so toxic that is should be taxed like alcohol, investors may want to look at the long term prospects for refined sugar companies.

A report, “Public health: The toxic truth about sugar. by Robert H. Lustig, 1 Laura A. Schmidt2 & Claire D. Brindis3’ points to the overall health dangers of sugars.

Companies and consumers are turning to stevia, a natural root sweetener, as a healthier alternative. According to a recent interview with president of PepsiCo Mexico, Pedro Padierna, in theatlantic.com, “Stevia, as a natural zero calorie sweetener for beverages, has received a warm welcome because it comes from a South American plant source. In the case of Quaker, we've seen tremendous brand growth in adding natural, local ingredients like the chia seed to Instant Quaker Oats. “

Imperial Sugar Company has a 52wk range of: $2.55 - $25.68.

Imperial Sugar Company (NASDAQ:IPSU ) reported a net loss for the fiscal first quarter ended December 31, 2011 of $3.5 million, or $0.29 per share, on net sales of $227.7 million. Results for the same period of the prior fiscal year were a loss of $8.9 million, or $0.75 per share, on net sales of $227.4 million.

“Imperial’s results continue to be affected by the margin compression experienced in the second half of last fiscal year, driven by high raw sugar prices and competitive pricing dynamics,” commented John Sheptor, president and CEO of Imperial Sugar, “although we were able to increase prices during the quarter sufficient to improve margins on a consecutive quarter basis. Production rates at the Port Wentworth refinery in the first quarter were largely unchanged and costs remained high. We continue to focus on operating reliability and efficiency to improve results.”

Revenues for the first quarter were unchanged as 18% higher sales prices offset a 16% reduction in sales volumes relating principally to the contribution of the Gramercy refinery to Louisiana Sugar Refining LLC in January 2011. Gross margins on a hedge accounting basis and excluding the impact of LIFO inventory reductions declined to 1.2% of sales in the quarter ended December 31, 2011 from 1.4% in the same period of the prior year, as increases in raw sugar costs exceeded sales price improvements. On a consecutive quarter basis, gross margin on a hedge accounting basis excluding LIFO improved from a negative 4.2% in the quarter ended September 30, 2011.

About Imperial
Imperial Sugar Company is one of the largest processors and marketers of refined sugar in the United States to food manufacturers, retail grocers and foodservice distributors. The Company markets products nationally under the Imperial®, Dixie Crystals® and Holly® brands. For more information about Imperial Sugar, visit www.imperialsugarcompany.com and www.iscnewsroom.com.

About InvestorIdeas.com:
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Disclaimer: Our sites do not make recommendations. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. We attempt to research thoroughly, but we offer no guarantees as to the accuracy of information presented. All Information relating to featured companies is sourced from public documents and/ or the company and is not the opinion of our web sites. This site is currently compensated by featured companies, news submissions and online advertising. www.InvestorIdeas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp

800-665-0411 - Source – www.Investorideas.com

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]]>Ashley MontgomeryFri, 10 Feb 2012 17:13:00 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3466-imperial-sugar-nasdaqipsu-up-over-12-in-spite-of-recent-health-warnings-on-sugar.aspxSmartCard Marketing Systems (OTCBB:SMKG) Launches Broadcastproduct.com Direct Response Servicehttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3465-smartcard-marketing-systems-otcbbsmkg-launches-broadcastproductcom-direct-response-service.aspxTallahassee, FL 2/10/12 (StreetBeat) – SmartCard Marketing Systems Inc. (Pinksheets:SMKG) announced today the launch of a direct response service for Manufactures and Retailers with a new twist to attract "opt in" consumers. The new offering allows for consumers to create a profile, manage their preferences in multiple categories, select offers and then get paid for their "preferences and purchases" from participating Manufacturers and Retailers.

• How it works? Manufacturers and Retailers who sign up can create a single or multiple product offering, register their cash-back incentives or offers and find a match with "opt in consumers". Consumers then get paid for receiving offers and can manage their cash-back for presenting their purchase receipts.
• What's made available? Coupons, rebates, prepaid cards, gift cards, cash-back, discounts and more.
• How do consumers get paid? Simple, they are given an online account and can accumulate money and incentives which they can then be paid or use at participating sponsors.

CEO Massimo Barone Stated "There is a major shift in direct response initiatives for incentives, coupons and cash-back programs because consumers are more adaptive to change then in past decades and are more responsive. In the past only "big retail" was able to support these types of programs and now everyone can join. Consumers want to have more control on the value of their buying power and be rewarded for it. We believe that the value in consumer data will be critical for Manufacturers and Retailers also as a testing ground for soft product launch with targeted cash-back offers unique to www.broadcastproduct.com ."

About SmartCard Marketing Systems Inc.

The company develops and manages proprietary transaction payment and loyalty solutions through its gateway platforms www.velocitymoney.com and newly launched www.broadcastproduct.com.

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]]>Janice MeehanFri, 10 Feb 2012 16:59:00 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3465-smartcard-marketing-systems-otcbbsmkg-launches-broadcastproductcom-direct-response-service.aspxImmunoCellular (OTCBB: IMUC) Shareholder Update Validates Strong Potential for Growthhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3464-immunocellular-otcbb-imuc-shareholder-update-validates-strong-potential-for-growth.aspxTallahassee, FL 2/10/12 (StreetBeat) – Biotechnology topics are hot in the investment community. Acquisitions are regularly being reported, new treatments are advancing in cancer therapy and stem cell research is being pursued down multiple avenues for its core competencies of repairing damaged body parts at the root of the problem. Bringing together these topics points to the direction of ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, Inc. (OTCBB:IMUC), a clinical stage biotechnology company targeting cancer stem cells by using the power of immunology and working in the same industry as Biogen Idec Inc. (NASDAQ:BIIB) and Amgen, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN). ImmunoCellular Therapeutics presents an investment opportunity that outstrips its much larger competitors as discernible from a recent letter to shareholders from IMUC President and CEO Manish Singh, Ph.D.

The company had a banner year in 2011 with a major milestone being hit with the initiation of a Phase II study for its flagship product candidate, ICT-107 (a dendritic cell-based vaccine). This Phase II study builds upon strong data collected in Phase I as an indication for glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer. Phase I research showed ICT-107 outperforming current treatments by showing an 80% survival rate after two years compared to today’s rate of a mere 26.5% and a three-year survival rate of 55% as compared to 15% with standard care treatments. An amazing 38% of the patients treated with ICT-107 continue to show no signs of tumor recurrence after three years as opposed to the bleak rate of 6% in patients receiving standard care. No serious adverse events from the ICT-107 have been observed.

Moreover, ImmunoCellular has completed a $10.4 million financing, paving the way financially for the company through at least the end of 2013 for the ICT-107 Phase II trial and potentially the start of clinical trials for two more vaccines utilizing the same scientific principles as ICT-107 (ICT-140 for ovarian cancer and ICT-121 for recurrent glioblastoma). The financing leaves IMUC in an envious position with cash on hand in excess of $16 million, a strong balance sheet thanks to a lean infrastructure, a robust group of life science investors and absolutely no need for dilutive practices.

The Phase II study is more than halfway through enrollment with more than 115 patients enrolled out of the estimated 160-200 through initiation of the trial at 23 centers, including some of the most prestigious brain tumor treatment centers in the U.S. Enrollment is expected to be completed by the second quarter 2012.

The letter to shareholders covered the whole gamut of ImmunoCellular’s operations highlighting that the company is not only well-positioned for today, but is also forward-thinking and taking the necessary steps to secure its position as a leader in the immunotherapy sector. Amongst its many developments in the last year, IMUC has manufacturing agreements in place for ICT-107 formulations with Progenitor Cell Therapy, a subsidiary of NeoStem (AMEX:NBS); initiated a strategic collaboration and new Joint Venture (called Caerus Discovery) with BioWa to develop enhanced versions of IMUC antibodies; and expanded its patent portfolio.

Industry experts are recognizing the ingenuity of ICT-107 and giving it extensive praise, including it being hailed as one of the “100 Great Investigational Drugs” by R&D Directions, a “Top 10 Licensable Oncology Products” by Windhover, listed as a top ten therapeutic cancer vaccines by Fierce Biotech and being featured on CBS News as a “promising vaccine” for brain cancer.

ImmunoCellular has clearly established itself as a pioneer in immunotherapy and possesses the technology that could truly change the landscape of oncology. They are well-funded and organized, have an outstanding management team; they’re producing stellar clinical data and carry a price point that offers an upside which is arguably larger than any of its peers. All of these qualities align IMUC as a prime acquisition target in a field of merger-hunger major pharmas looking to take the lead in any given field. Keep an eye on this emerging micro-cap firm that could be shepherding in the next generation of brain cancer therapy right before our eyes. Interested parties are encouraged to read the letter to shareholders from Dr. Singh, and keep an alert out for the company’s next SEC filing.

ImmunoCellular to Present at the 14th Annual BIO CEO & Investor Conference

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]]>Ashley MontgomeryFri, 10 Feb 2012 16:43:24 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3464-immunocellular-otcbb-imuc-shareholder-update-validates-strong-potential-for-growth.aspxUnconfirmed Reports North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un assassinatedhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3463-unconfirmed-reports-north-korean-leader-kim-jong-un-assassinated.aspxNorthern, WI  2/10/2012  (Streetbeat)  --  Unconfirmed Reports North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un has been assassinated...be back with more as soon as I get confirmation.  Currently Bloomberg and CNN are NOT confirming this, but much activity is taking place at Korean Government Offices.

The streetbeat.com team has been watching the DTV News aggregate and have no more information.  This News alert came from the Chicago trading floor news feed where we get daily up the minute reports.  It is also trending wildly on Chinese Twitter.

I will be back to confirm or retract this as soon as I get more information.

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]]>Steve KanavalFri, 10 Feb 2012 16:24:00 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3463-unconfirmed-reports-north-korean-leader-kim-jong-un-assassinated.aspxCobalt (NYSE: CIE) Angola pre-salt oil test beats expectationshttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3461-cobalt-nyse-cie-angola-pre-salt-oil-test-beats-expectations.aspxNorthern, WI 2/10/12 (StreetBeat) – Cobalt International Energy Inc (NYSE: CIE) said results from tests at a deep sea oil well off the coast of Angola had exceeded expectations and increased the company's confidence in its West African pre-salt exploration prospects.

Cobalt, whose main stakeholder is Goldman Sachs, said in a statement tests at its Cameia-1 well in Block 21 confirmed the presence of a 1,180 foot "gross continuous oil column."

"Cameia is an extraordinary success. The results have exceeded our pre-drill expectations and have increased our confidence in our entire West Africa pre-salt exploration inventory," said Cobalt chief executive Joseph Bryant.

Analysts and investors believe drilling thousands of metres under the Kwanza Basin seabed through blocks known as pre-salt, could match huge discoveries made off the Brazilian coast in similar rock formations in recent years.

On Dec. 20, Cobalt's shares soared 37 percent after the company said it found hydrocarbons in the Cameia-1 well.

Bryant added that the company will immediately start an appraisal drilling program to further assess the size and extent of the Cameia oil discovery and to drill to deeper objectives.

"Based upon our analysis of the test data, if not limited by the test equipment on the rig, we believe the well would have the potential to produce in excess of 20,000 barrels of oil per day," said James Farnsworth, Cobalt's Chief Exploration Officer.

Cobalt has a 40 percent stake in Block 21 and its three partners are the state-owned Sonangol and local companies Nazaki Oil and Alper Oil.

The Houston-based firm was one of seven companies to win licences to operate pre-salt blocks and sign production sharing agreements with Sonangol in December..

The other companies were France's Total, Britain's BP, Norwegian firm Statoil, Italy's ENI , Spain's Repsol and U.S. firm ConocoPhilips .

Cobalt is also the operator of Block 20. It has a 40 percent working interest in the block.

The company, which also has assets in Gulf of Mexico and Gabon in West Africa, has said it is planning its first well in Block 20 in 2013.

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]]>Steve KanavalFri, 10 Feb 2012 16:22:39 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3461-cobalt-nyse-cie-angola-pre-salt-oil-test-beats-expectations.aspxApple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) Gain Is Nuance's (Nasdaq: NUAN) Painhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3460-apples-nasdaq-aapl-gain-is-nuances-nasdaq-nuan-pain.aspxPalm Beach, FL 2/10/12 (StreetBeat) – Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) is edging ever closer to $500 a share, but not all of its suppliers are basking in the iPhone maker's glow. Just ask Nuance Communications (Nasdaq: NUAN).

Apple has long been known to drive a hard bargain with its suppliers. The company continually tries to find a way to maximize its own margins, while squeezing those of its partners. Apple products are largely deemed must-haves, and suppliers are willing to do whatever they can to insert their products into the iPhone and iPad.

CEO Tim Cook may continue to drive harder bargains in the future than his predecessor Steve Jobs did, as Cook's experience and intellect are on the operational side of the business.

Nuance Communications reported weaker-than-expected first-quarter earnings as the company said its relationship with mobile companies has become "more comprehensive and complex" lately. Nuance makes part of the technology that goes into Siri, the personal and voice recognition assistant in the iPhone 4S.

This could eventually mean that Apple and other handset makers like Research In Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM) and phones that use Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG) Android operating system may wind up developing their own technology, or potentially moving on to another partner, squeezing Nuance shares even further.

Wedbush Securities analyst Scott Sutherland believes this could eventually happen, as he wrote in a recent earnings note. He believes Apple could eventually build its own automatic speech recognition (ASR), as Google has already done and Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) has done with Kinect.

"...[W]e believe Apple will follow Microsoft's and Google's lead and build its own ASR, especially after Siri's co-founder indicated Nuance ASR could be swapped out," Sutherland wrote in his note. He rates Nuance shares underperform with a $18 price target.

Sutherland also said he believes that the other handset makers Nuance works with could squeeze Nuance even more..

Deutsche Bank analyst Nandan Amladi also suggested that other handset makers may eschew Nuance's products in the future, as they have developed in-house alternatives. Amladi maintained his buy rating and $30 price target on Nuance following the earnings report.

Nuance reported quarterly earnings of 34 cents a share on revenue of $360.6 million, well below what analysts were looking for. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected the company to report earnings of 36 cents a share on $391.6 million in revenue.

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]]>Andy DufraneFri, 10 Feb 2012 16:08:04 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3460-apples-nasdaq-aapl-gain-is-nuances-nasdaq-nuan-pain.aspxTrue Religion (Nasdaq: TRLG) slumps after weak forecast; analysts cut ratingshttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3459-true-religion-nasdaq-trlg-slumps-after-weak-forecast-analysts-cut-ratings.aspxPalm Beach, FL 2/10/12 (StreetBeat) -- Shares of denim maker True Religion Apparel Inc (Nasdaq: TRLG) lost as much as a quarter of their value on Friday after the company forecast weak 2012 results, prompting at least two brokerages to downgrade the stock.

Citigroup cut True Religion to "neutral" from "buy," and said the company's international business would weigh on earnings over the next year.

On Thursday, the company, which sells its namesake jeans for as much as $300 in specialty boutiques and upscale department stores, reported a lower-than-expected quarterly profit.

Benchmark also downgraded the stock to "hold" from "buy."

True Religion shares fell to $27.57 on Friday on the Nasdaq.

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]]>Andy DufraneFri, 10 Feb 2012 15:46:26 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3459-true-religion-nasdaq-trlg-slumps-after-weak-forecast-analysts-cut-ratings.aspxDeyu Agriculture Corp. (OTCBB: DEYU) Acquires Deep Processed Food Manufacturer, Taizihu Grouphttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3458-deyu-agriculture-corp-otcbb-deyu-acquires-deep-processed-food-manufacturer-taizihu-group.aspxOrlando, FL 2/10/12 (StreetBeat) -- Deyu Agriculture Corp. (OTCBB: DEYU), a Beijing, China-based vertically integrated producer and distributor of organic and non-organic corn and grain products, announced today that it has acquired 100% of the issued and outstanding share capital of Shanxi Taizihu Food Co., Ltd. and its subsidiary, Shanxi Huichun Bean Products Co., Ltd. (together, the "Taizihu Group") for approximately $5,500,000 in cash. The Taizihu Group, which is located in Shanxi Province in China, is in the business of producing and selling fruit beverages under the brand name "LongQuan Villa" and soybean products under the brand name "Huichun" throughout China.

"The acquisition of the Taizihu Group will enable us to better provide products to the thriving global market for deep processed health food and drinks," remarked Jianming Hao, the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Deyu. "The Taizihu Group has a well-developed product line consisting of over 100 types of foods and beverages, such as grain drinks, soybean products, and fruit vinegars and juices. In particular, its LongQuan Villa brand of fruit beverages and its Huichun brand of soybean products are well-recognized names among consumers in China. By leveraging the Taizihu Group's product lines, we are looking to capture a more substantial share of the emerging worldwide market for deep processed health food and drinks while minimizing our risks in developing and introducing new products, establishing brands, cultivating markets and making products profitable."

As a result of the acquisition, Deyu has integrated its sales network of over 16,000 retail stores with the Taizihu Group's sales channels, which consist of 100 distributors in more than 10 provinces in China and export channels in Europe, USA, Japan and other countries. Accordingly, Deyu is confident that the acquisition of the Taizihu Group will help drive Deyu's regional and global sales of its deep processed foods and drinks and packaged and unpackaged simple processed grain products.

Mr. Hao added, "In acquiring the Taizihu Group, which has products yielding high profit margins, advanced technologies, a management team with ample experience in the deep-processed food industry and a large manufacturing base of over a million square feet close to a key transport hub in Shanxi Province, we believe that we will be in a much better position to continue to grow our business and increase returns for our investors. All of us at Deyu are very excited about this acquisition as we believe that it presents us with a tremendous opportunity to expand our operations considerably."

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]]>Janice MeehanFri, 10 Feb 2012 15:04:30 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3458-deyu-agriculture-corp-otcbb-deyu-acquires-deep-processed-food-manufacturer-taizihu-group.aspxCono Italiano Inc. (OTCBB: CNOZ) and Spuntibreak Secures Distributor Agreement With Ashcroft Management Ltd.http://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3457-cono-italiano-inc-otcbb-cnoz-and-spuntibreak-secures-distributor-agreement-with-ashcroft-management-ltd.aspxTallahassee, FL 2/10/12 (StreetBeat) -- Cono Italiano, Inc. (OTCBB: CNOZ), the exclusive license holder for the North American Distribution and Manufacturing rights for "pizza cono," a one-of-a-kind, drip-free, cone-shaped pizza made from proprietary dough and manufacturer of frozen foods, is pleased to announce a distribution agreement with Spuntibreak Srl and Ashcroft Management Ltd.

Spuntibreak is the owner of the pizza cone designs, recipes and technology to be distributed to the quick service market. Under terms of the agreement Ashcroft Management Ltd. becomes an official distributor of Spuntibreak Srl products-Cono Italiano Inc. For its part, Spuntibreak-Cono Italiano Inc. agrees to produce private label pizza cone product for Ashcroft Management Ltd.

Other specifics of the distribution agreement include:
- Spuntibreak-Cono Italiano Inc. commits to design and manufacture products for Ashcroft Management Ltd. in compliance with legal requirements and regulations in force at the date of the Order of command concerned as well as standards and specifications laid down by the competent authorities, particularly in respect to the manufacturing standard ISO 9001.
- Spuntibreak-Cono Italiano delivers "ex works" -- all the objects of the Order Products Order within 20 work days from the date of the Order to ensure packaging of products under its responsibility. Spuntibreak-Cono Italiano Inc agrees to send Ashcroft Management Ltd., written confirmation of availability of products within factory, five days prior.
- Prices specified in the agreement are "global", "flat" and "firm". Prices may be revised annually without exceeding the 10% increase compared to previous price.
- During the five year term of the agreement, Spuntibreak-Cono Italiano Inc. agrees not to supply any Ashcroft Management Ltd. products produced by Spuntibreak- Cono Italiano Inc. to any customer or client of Ashcroft Management Ltd.
- Ashcroft Management Ltd. undertakes to order minimum 1 pallet of "pizza cone" products monthly.

About Cono Italiano, Inc.

Cono Italiano, Inc. owns the North American distribution and manufacturing rights for Pizza Cono. This Pizza Cone is designed to be a drip free, spill free cone-shaped pizza made of proprietary dough and filled with freshly selected ingredients. The Company intends that the Pizza Cone will be distributed through the fast food market. The Pizza Cone will be distributed to quick-service restaurants (QSR), takeaways, and leisure locations. These establishments include typical fast food chains, supermarkets, convenience stores, entertainment facilities and sports arenas.

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]]>Janice MeehanFri, 10 Feb 2012 14:54:52 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3457-cono-italiano-inc-otcbb-cnoz-and-spuntibreak-secures-distributor-agreement-with-ashcroft-management-ltd.aspxView Systems (OTCBB: VSYM) Announces Partnership With National Security Resourceshttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3456-view-systems-otcbb-vsym-announces-partnership-with-national-security-resources.aspxTallahassee, FL 2/10/12 (StreetBeat) -- View Systems, Inc. (OTC.BB: VSYM), a security solutions provider, announced a partnership with facial recognition company National Security Resources (NSR).

View Systems announces that the companies are working together to develop and deliver an integrated solution as the first combined technology product line. We are integrating NSR's advanced "scan and match facial recognition" ability into our concealed weapons detection ViewScan. NSR is famous for positively identifying Bin Laden during the capture on the fly while the Navy Seal had his hand on the trigger transmitting the pictures to decision makers via satellite. NSR is the choice of United States Marshals for facial recognition.

Founder of NSR, Dr. Glenn Crowe commented that, "This project represents a major advance in security at a time when the need is critical, and we look forward to delivering this product line with View Systems. Our customers have been asking for this type of product for years and we feel that View Systems is the perfect partner for us to deliver it with. The need for advanced security applications of this type is growing as perpetrators look for ways to defeat screening attempts to gain access to schools, courthouses, and the workplace environment."

The biometrics market is estimated to grow from $4,217.2 million in 2010 to $11,229.3 million in 2015, at an estimated CAGR of 21.6% from 2010 to 2015. The growth of the biometrics market is mainly due to increasing concerns of the countries in terms of strengthening national security.

Biometrics market expected to hit $12 billion in 2015.

About View Systems: View Systems, Inc. manufactures and installs concealed weapons detection systems, biometric identification video platforms and bio-data networks targeted towards correctional facilities, schools, courthouses, government agencies, event and sports venues, and commercial businesses.

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]]>Ashley MontgomeryFri, 10 Feb 2012 14:43:14 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3456-view-systems-otcbb-vsym-announces-partnership-with-national-security-resources.aspxSanta Fe Gold (OTCBB: SFEG) Reports Strong Operating Results for 2012 Fiscal First Halfhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3455-santa-fe-gold-otcbb-sfeg-reports-strong-operating-results-for-2012-fiscal-first-half.aspxTallahassee, FL 2/10/12 (StreetBeat) -- Santa Fe Gold Corporation (OTCBB: SFEG) is pleased to announce the financial results for its 2012 fiscal first half ending December 31, 2011.

Continued Growth in Revenue

Santa Fe recorded revenue of $4,469,219 for its 2012 fiscal first half ended December 31, 2011, up 257% from revenue of $1,250,262 in the corresponding first half of fiscal 2011. The increase of $3,218,957 is due to increased production at the Summit mine and related shipments of precious metals concentrate, flux material and the sale of refined gold. Full financial results are available in the Company’s Form 10-Q filed with the SEC and available at www.sec.gov.

“We continue to increase production at our Summit silver-gold mine in New Mexico and are closer to our target of commercial production, which we expect to achieve during the current quarter,” said Pierce Carson, CEO of Santa Fe. “With higher production and continued strength in gold and silver prices, we are optimistic that we will see even stronger operating results in the coming quarters.”

Columbus Silver Acquisition

Santa Fe continues to make progress on its pending acquisition of Columbus Silver Corporation (TSXV: CSC) pursuant to which Santa Fe will conditionally acquire Columbus Silver for cash. The company expects the transaction to be concluded in March or April 2012.

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]]>Ashley MontgomeryFri, 10 Feb 2012 14:30:18 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3455-santa-fe-gold-otcbb-sfeg-reports-strong-operating-results-for-2012-fiscal-first-half.aspx3 Things to Know Before Tradinghttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3454-3-things-to-know-before-trading.aspxTallahassee, FL 2/10/12 (StreetBeat) -- Stocks were mixed in Asian trade. Shanghai was up a slight fraction, but the Hang Seng fell one percent, Australia was down 0.9% and the Nikkei was off by 0.6%. European indexes are weak this morning, with the Dax off one and three quarters percent and the Footsie is down 0.8%. US stock futures are down by three quarters of a percent or so as I write.

*The Reserve Bank of Australia lowered its forecast for inflation and growth in 2012 in its quarterly commentary on monetary policy. They say the consumer price outlook gives them scope for rate cuts if demand softens.

*The January reading of China’s Trade Balance was a surplus of $27.28 billion, more than double the expected surplus and up by more than $10 billion from the month before. Exports were down 0.5% on a year on year basis, but Imports were off by more than 15%.

*EuroGroup boss, and Luxembourg Prime Minister, Juncker said in Brussels last night that there will no funding for Greece until their Parliament approves the deal, “in short: no disbursement without implementation,” he said. Besides that German FinMin Schaeuble has not backed down from his assessment that the deal the Greek’s want falls short of the debt cutting targets anyway. But this morning George Karatzaferis, a leader of the Greek government coalition party, LAOS, said he and his party will not vote in favor of the new economic measures; he says Greece will not accept this “humiliation”.

*The final January reading of Germany’s Consumer Price Index was unrevised at -0.5% on the month and +2.3% year on year, for the EU harmonized version.

*The January reading of Switzerland’s Consumer Price Index is -0.4% month on month and -0.8% on an annualized basis.

*The January reading of the UK Producer Price Index was +0.5% on the month, well above the estimate for a gaon of 0.1% for prices at the factory gate.

*The December reading of the US Trade Balance is due out at 7:30am CST, it is expected to be a deficit of $48.5 billion. The preliminary February reading of consumer sentiment from the University of Michigan is due out at 8:55am CST, it is forecast to be 74.8, down two tenths from the final January result. The Treasury is set to release at 1:00pm CST their January Budget Statement, it is expected to be a deficit of $34.0 billion; a year ago the deficit for January was $49.8 billion.

*The Fed is scheduled to buy TIPS today that are due to mature between 7/15/18 and 2/15/41; the results of the operation will be announced just after 10:00am CST.

*Fed boss Bernanke is set to speak on “Housing Markets in Transition” at 11:30am CST in Orlando, Florida. Cleveland Fed’s Pianalto will also talk about housing, she is in Cleveland and will begin at 11:50am CST.

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]]>Ashley MontgomeryFri, 10 Feb 2012 14:22:07 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3454-3-things-to-know-before-trading.aspxLTS Nutraceuticals’ (OTCBB: LTSN) BioCalth Bone and Joint Health Supplement Enters U.S. Marketshttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3453-lts-nutraceuticals-otcbb-ltsn-biocalth-bone-and-joint-health-supplement-enters-us-markets.aspxNorthern, WI 2/9/12 (StreetBeat) -- Shares of LTS Nutraceuticals, Inc. (OTCBB:LTSN) have been on a sharp slide for the last, but news of entering the U.S. markets with its recently acquired BioCalth product may help slow the roll. The company, a developer and manufacturer of nutritional and personal care products, completed its acquisition of Biocalth International, Inc., Giantceuticals, Inc. and HerbSource Enterprises, Inc. (collectively “Biocalth”), as announced on January 19, 2012.

Today, the company said today that it has penetrated the U.S. markets with its BioCalth® product on www.Walmart.com and www.Vitaminshoppe.com. This is not the first products helping LTS Nutra to generate revenue in the States as its brands Celadrin® (a cell membrane lubricant) and fit calorie crystals™ are currently sold in national drug store chains and club stores across North America. Additionally, BioCalth is presently being sold in some of the largest drug store chains in Asia and Europe.

“The bone and joint health supplements market continues to rise due to the growing aging population here in the U.S. and we believe BioCalth is unlike any supplement out there in the marketplace today. We are excited that these retailers also sees the potential of BioCalth in the U.S. market and we look forward to what we believe will be a successful brand for many years to come,” stated Chairman of LTS Nutraceuticals, Ted Farnsworth.

Globally, the bone and joint health market expected to top $9 billion in the next five years, with the United States currently representing the largest market in the world.

Shares of LTSN opened are down tepidly by 1.96% at $0.50 on light volume just after the opening bell.

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]]>Steve KanavalThu, 09 Feb 2012 17:11:47 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3453-lts-nutraceuticals-otcbb-ltsn-biocalth-bone-and-joint-health-supplement-enters-us-markets.aspxTripAdvisor (Nasdaq: TRIP): Bad Trip? Analysts Cut Ratings On Weak Q4http://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3452-tripadvisor-nasdaq-trip-bad-trip-analysts-cut-ratings-on-weak-q4.aspxNorthern, WI 2/9/12 (StreetBeat) – Like night follows day, ugly quarters are predictably followed by bearish commentary from the Street.

TripAdvisor (Nasdaq: TRIP) nicely illustrates that concept this morning. Last light, in its first report as an independent public company following a spin off from Expedia, the company posted Q4 results that sorely disappointed the Street. TRIP posted revenue of $137.8 million, up 30% from a year ago and ahead of the Street at $133.7 million. But net income was up only 19% from a year ago, resulting in GAAP profits of 16 cents a share, well short of the Street at 24 cents.

Perhaps more importantly, the Street found the company’s guidance to be severely disappointing in terms of both growth and expenses.

The analysts are not happy.

Benchmark Co. analyst James Dobson cut his rating on the stock to Hold from Buy.

“TripAdvisor reported decent Q4 results but issued disappointing guidance,” Dobson writes in a research note. “2012 revenue guidance was lower than anticipated with no EBITDA growth. TripAdvisor will aggressively spend on search engine marketing. The level of increased expenses is surprising.”

Dobson noted that revenue guidance for 2012 is for mid-to-high percentage growth, lower than 2011, and below expectations. The company blamed the weak view on slower hotel travel growth, a redesigned website with less monetization and various other factors. And he he says that expense guidance was higher than expectations, due largely to planned higher spending on search engine marketing.

Lazard Capital analyst Jake Fuller likewise cut his rating to Neutral from Buy. He cites three issues for the stock:
Top-line guidance points to a material slowdown.
Margin was weak in Q4 and guidance points to further pressure in 2012.
“The stock is near our initial target and estimates are down. In short, we underestimated the headwinds here.”

TRIP is down $5.83, or 17%, to $28.51.

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]]>Steve KanavalThu, 09 Feb 2012 16:57:37 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3452-tripadvisor-nasdaq-trip-bad-trip-analysts-cut-ratings-on-weak-q4.aspxAttitude Drinks (OTCBB: ATTD) Announces Brown Distributing Company to Distribute Phase III® Recoveryhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3451-attitude-drinks-otcbb-attd-announces-brown-distributing-company-to-distribute-phase-iii-recovery.aspxNorthern, WI 2/9/12 (StreetBeat) – Attitude Drinks (OTCBB: ATTD), an innovative beverage brand development company and creator of the Phase III® Recovery brand, today announced a distribution agreement with Brown Distributing Company to service Phase III® throughout 269 Walgreens locations. Phase III® will be distributed by Brown in southeast Florida from Palm Beach County through Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties to the Florida Keys.

Roy Warren, CEO of Attitude Drinks, commented, "Our agreements with great beverage distribution companies like Brown with their superior reputation in customer service are the foundation of our sales opportunity in Walgreens and many other retail accounts in Florida."

Jack Shea, Executive Vice President Sales, said: "We are delighted to be working with such a strong distributor as Brown Distributors in Florida. The recent authorization of Phase III® Recovery in Walgreens requires excellence in sales and distribution organization to the stores. Brown is a leader in the sales and distribution of non-alcoholic beverages.

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]]>Steve KanavalThu, 09 Feb 2012 16:41:58 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3451-attitude-drinks-otcbb-attd-announces-brown-distributing-company-to-distribute-phase-iii-recovery.aspxOracle (Nasdaq: ORCL) to pay $1.9B for personnel software co.http://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3450-oracle-nasdaq-orcl-to-pay-19b-for-personnel-software-co.aspxTallahassee, FL 2/9/12 (StreetBeat) – Oracle (Nasdaq: ORCL) is paying $1.9 billion for Taleo Corp. (Nasdaq: TLEO), a company that helps businesses manage their employees.

The planned purchase of Taleo extends Oracle's offerings in the growing arena of cloud-based computing. With such an approach, businesses don't run software and services in-house, but rather send those tasks to remote locations operated by companies such as Oracle and IBM Corp (NYSE: IBM).

Taleo, based in California, makes human-resources software that runs on the cloud.

Oracle is paying $46 a share for Taleo stock. That is 18 percent above Wednesday's closing price of $38.94.

Taleo's stock rose 18 percent to $45.85 in pre-marking trading. Oracle's gained 9 cents to $28.82.

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]]>Andy DufraneThu, 09 Feb 2012 16:21:27 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3450-oracle-nasdaq-orcl-to-pay-19b-for-personnel-software-co.aspxImperial Sugar (Nasdaq: IPSU) Reports First Quarter Fiscal 2012 Resultshttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3449-imperial-sugar-nasdaq-ipsu-reports-first-quarter-fiscal-2012-results.aspxOrlando, FL 2/9/12 (StreetBeat) – Imperial Sugar Company (NASDAQ:IPSU) today reported a net loss for the fiscal first quarter ended December 31, 2011 of $3.5 million, or $0.29 per share, on net sales of $227.7 million. Results for the same period of the prior fiscal year were a loss of $8.9 million, or $0.75 per share, on net sales of $227.4 million.

“Imperial’s results continue to be affected by the margin compression experienced in the second half of last fiscal year, driven by high raw sugar prices and competitive pricing dynamics,” commented John Sheptor, president and CEO of Imperial Sugar, “although we were able to increase prices during the quarter sufficient to improve margins on a consecutive quarter basis. Production rates at the Port Wentworth refinery in the first quarter were largely unchanged and costs remained high. We continue to focus on operating reliability and efficiency to improve results.”

Revenues for the first quarter were unchanged as 18% higher sales prices offset a 16% reduction in sales volumes relating principally to the contribution of the Gramercy refinery to Louisiana Sugar Refining LLC in January 2011. Gross margins on a hedge accounting basis and excluding the impact of LIFO inventory reductions declined to 1.2% of sales in the quarter ended December 31, 2011 from 1.4% in the same period of the prior year, as increases in raw sugar costs exceeded sales price improvements. On a consecutive quarter basis, gross margin on a hedge accounting basis excluding LIFO improved from a negative 4.2% in the quarter ended September 30, 2011.

Sheptor continued, “We have maintained compliance with the terms of our revolving credit agreement and are exploring opportunities to improve liquidity. We are in the late stages of exploring with our partner the potential sale of our interest in Wholesome Sweeteners to a third party.”

Capital expenditures during first quarter of fiscal 2012 were $4.2 million, principally for safety, environmental and equipment replacement projects. The Company reported that it had undrawn availability under its amended revolving credit agreement of $18.4 million, at February 7, 2012 after deducting $70.1 million of borrowings.

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]]>Janice MeehanThu, 09 Feb 2012 15:57:00 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3449-imperial-sugar-nasdaq-ipsu-reports-first-quarter-fiscal-2012-results.aspxAndiamo Corporation (PK: ANDI) Exceeds 500 iPhone Appshttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3448-andiamo-corporation-pk-andi-exceeds-500-iphone-apps.aspxOrlando, FL 2/9/12 (StreetBeat) -- Andiamo Corporation (Pinksheets: ANDI), subsidiary ActionApp Corporation, a prolific mobile App development company, expects to grow its App inventory to over 500 iPhone Apps in the next 45 days.

"This is a huge accomplishment for ANDI. We keep growing and we keep adding Apps, which is the key to our success and growth. We are approaching 14 million downloads with our existing inventory of 70 apps, so we are very excited to see a substantial increase in our already solid download count as well as continued increases in revenue as a result of these new Apps. Our development team is working around the clock to make this happen," said Secor, CEO of ANDI.

Half of the Apps will be free versions, monetized through advertising revenue. In December, Action App served nearly 10 million ad requests through its existing inventory of about 35 free Apps.

Action App has created a proprietary formula for success, which includes initial marketing screens and a backend database for cross marketing within their own app network, as well as social media, search engine optimization, keywords, titles, and marketing, which ultimately provides traffic and downloads.

Further, Secor commented, "We have completed our most recent quarter (1/31) and we look forward to sharing our quarterly report as soon as it is finalized and approved."

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]]>Janice MeehanThu, 09 Feb 2012 15:14:03 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3448-andiamo-corporation-pk-andi-exceeds-500-iphone-apps.aspxMacroSolve (PK: MCVE) Sues Hyatt for Patent Infringementhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3447-macrosolve-pk-mcve-sues-hyatt-for-patent-infringement.aspxTallahassee, FL 2/9/12 (StreetBeat) -- Mobile technology provider, MacroSolve, Inc. (Pink Sheets:MCVE), who brands itself in the app world through the name “Illume Mobile,” has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Hyatt Corporation (NYSE:H) alleging a violation of MacroSolve’s U.S. Patent No. 7,822,816, which was issued to MacroSolve on October 26, 2010 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The suit is one in a number of patent infringement cases that the company has filed against household names such as Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT), Facebook, Hertz (NYSE:HTZ), Priceline.com (NASDAQ:PCLN) and Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUB), as well as seven other major companies in the travel industry claiming illegal usage of MacroSolve’s mobile app platforms.

"We've already reached settlement agreements with a number of companies that were in violation of our intellectual property rights and we believe we will continue to find amicable ways to receive compensation for the use our inventions," said MacroSolve Vice Chairman, Jim McGill, in a press release today.
The patent addresses mobile information collection systems across all wireless networks, smartphones, tablets, and rugged mobile devices, regardless of carrier and manufacturer, and is currently utilized in MacroSolve's rapid mobile app development platforms. MacroSolve's patent covers fundamental technology in the mobile application space utilized by multiple companies.
MacroSolve's lawsuit claims that, "Hyatt, directly or through intermediaries, made, used, imported, provided, supplied, distributed, sold and/or offered for sale products and/or systems (including at least its product and system referred to as its Hyatt mobile app) that infringed one or more claims of the 816 patent. In addition, Hyatt induced infringement and/or contributed to the infringement of one or more of the claims of the 816 patent by its customers."

Judging by the January 2012 Investment Overview at http://www.illumemobile.com/wp-content/uploads/docs/011912_MCVE_SlideDeck_Website.pdf, this is by no means going to be the last lawsuit filed by MacroSolve. The company has been a pioneer in the app game through its patents and says that it has identified over 250 potential targets and intends to file 15 to 20 new suits every 60 to 90 days. A law firm is working at 100 percent contingent fee, so there is no cost to MacroSolve for enforcement.

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]]>Andy DufraneThu, 09 Feb 2012 14:56:17 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3447-macrosolve-pk-mcve-sues-hyatt-for-patent-infringement.aspxSupportSave (OTCBB: SSVE) Announces Agreement With the Largest Online Auto Parts Retailerhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3446-supportsave-otcbb-ssve-announces-agreement-with-the-largest-online-auto-parts-retailer.aspxOrlando, FL 2/9/12 (StreetBeat) -- Under the terms of the agreement, SupportSave Solutions, Inc. (OTCBB: SSVE) will provide at least 50 agents to answer support calls for the company's order tracking function. The company has annual sales of approximately 328 million USD. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

The agreement was executed February 6, 2012 for a period of 90 days with rolling 90 day renewal periods.

SupportSave's proven ability to deliver quality exceeding industry leading competitors within the BPO / Contact Center space at 20-50% less cost is why companies are continuing to take notice. The company has invested heavily in its infrastructure with its world class delivery center at Robinson's Cybergate in Cebu City, Philippines capable of housing more than 2000 full-time employees to enable it to attract and retain more large sophisticated clients.

"This relationship represents another significant milestone for SupportSave and continues to position us as an even stronger player in the retail/e-retail vertical. I believe this relationship will grow to several hundred agents. We will continue to relentlessly strive to exceed our clients' expectations and demonstrate that our value proposition is not limited to our ability to deliver costs lower than our competitors," states Christopher Johns, SupportSave President & CEO.

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]]>Janice MeehanThu, 09 Feb 2012 14:43:59 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3446-supportsave-otcbb-ssve-announces-agreement-with-the-largest-online-auto-parts-retailer.aspxTurkPower (OTCBB: TRKP) Has Received Title Transfer in Excess of $20Mhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3445-turkpower-otcbb-trkp-has-received-title-transfer-in-excess-of-20m.aspxPalm Beach, FL 2/9/12 (StreetBeat) -- TurkPower Corporation (OTC.BB: TRKP) (the "Company") announced today that title transfer of 180,000mt of high-grade coking coal into its wholly owned subsidiary Sibcoal Commodities Trading Corporation was perfected. The Company hopes to sell this entire inventory of 180,000mt of coking coal at FOB spot price within Q1 of 2012.

TurkPower's Chairman Ryan E. Hart commented: "The Company is also in the process of completing title transfer of the recently acquired Zavyalov coal field with over 100 million tonnes of forecasted extractable quantity of coal and is confident to announce the transfer of title shortly."

About Zavyalov

The Zavyalov Square of the Toguchino Coal Field ("Zavyalov") located in the Toguchino District of Novosibirsk Region, Russia. Zavyalov decrees over 100M tonnes of forecasted extractable quantity of high-grade hard coking coal. Coal at Zavyalov is typically humic with relative low moisture (max 6%), volatile matters (avg. 20%) and GCV of 7990 - 8680 Kcal/kg. The grades of coal are fit for processing into metallurgical coking coal, which is in perpetual short supply and which trades at a high premium to "regular" coal.

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]]>Ashley MontgomeryThu, 09 Feb 2012 14:32:15 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3445-turkpower-otcbb-trkp-has-received-title-transfer-in-excess-of-20m.aspxFireman's Contractors (OTCBB: FRCN) Adds Riverbend Properties as New Commercial Clienthttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3444-firemans-contractors-otcbb-frcn-adds-riverbend-properties-as-new-commercial-client.aspxPalm Beach, FL 2/9/12 (StreetBeat) -- Fireman's Contractors, Inc. (OTCBB: FRCN) recently announced a new commercial contract with Riverbend Properties, a premier Texas business park located in East Fort Worth. Riverbend Properties offers approximately 1.5 million square feet of office space in its 32-building office park for industrial, commercial and warehouse tenants. Fireman's Contractors recently completed onsite pavement maintenance for Riverbend, and has been contracted to provide additional parking lot maintenance service for the business park.

Commenting on the contract, Renee Gilmore, CEO of Fireman's, stated, "The Riverbend contract further solidifies our strategic initiative to expand Fireman's professional services for commercial and government clients. We're glad to have the opportunity to expand our scope of work with Riverbend Properties."

Steve Winters, Vice President of Sales Development for Fireman's, said, "We continue to develop business relationships with key property management companies, and we are pleased that Riverbend Properties sees the value in our work."

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]]>Ashley MontgomeryThu, 09 Feb 2012 14:14:55 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3444-firemans-contractors-otcbb-frcn-adds-riverbend-properties-as-new-commercial-client.aspxFuelCell Energy, Inc. (NasdaqGM: FCEL) On the Upswing as Clean Tech Stocks Rallyhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3443-fuelcell-energy-inc-nasdaqgm-fcel-on-the-upswing-as-clean-tech-stocks-rally.aspxOrlando, FL 2/9/12 (StreetBeat) -- Investorideas.com, a leader in renewable energy stock research for independent investors, issues an investor alert for, FuelCell Energy, Inc. (NasdaqGM :FCEL).

The last news from the Company in January reported it reached a significant milestone with one billion kilowatt hours (kWh) of ultra-clean and renewable electricity produced by Direct FuelCell(R) (DFC) (R) power plants since 2003. One billion kWh of electricity can power more than 90,000 average size U.S. homes for one year. With more than 80 DFC plants producing environmentally friendly power and usable high quality heat at more than 50 locations globally, DFC plants are eliminating the emission of a significant level of pollutants and substantially reducing carbon emissions compared to the average U.S. fossil-fuel power plant.

About FuelCell Energy
Direct FuelCell(R) power plants are generating ultra-clean, efficient and reliable power at more than 50 locations worldwide. With over 180 megawatts of power generation capacity installed or in backlog, FuelCell Energy is a global leader in providing ultra-clean baseload distributed generation to utilities, industrial operations, universities, municipal water treatment facilities, government installations and other customers around the world. The Company's power plants have generated over one billion kWh of power using a variety of fuels including renewable biogas from wastewater treatment and food processing, as well as clean natural gas. For more information please visit our website at www.fuelcellenergy.com


Research more fuel cell stocks on global stock exchanges –and up to 1300 renewable energy stocks at Investorideas.com http://www.investorideas.com/Companies/RenewableEnergy/Stock_List.asp

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]]>Janice MeehanThu, 09 Feb 2012 14:05:48 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3443-fuelcell-energy-inc-nasdaqgm-fcel-on-the-upswing-as-clean-tech-stocks-rally.aspx3 Things to Know Before Tradinghttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3442-3-things-to-know-before-trading.aspxOrlando, FL 2/9/12 (StreetBeat) -- Stocks were generally little changed in Asian trade. The Nikkei and Australia were down a slight fraction on the session, while Shanghai and the Hang Seng were essentially unchanged. European Indexes are also marginally mixed, with the Dax up about a half percent and the Footsie is up just a bit. US stock futures are down a slight fraction as I write.

*The January reading of China’s Consumer Price Index was up four tenths from the month before to 4.5% year on year; it had been expected to ease back by one tenth. The January reading of their Producer Price Index was down one percent from the month before to +0.7% year on year, close to the forecast.

*The December reading of UK Industrial Production was stronger than expected, up 0.5% month on month, beating the estimate of a gain of 0.2%.

*The Bank of England kept their benchmark rate steady at 0.50%, but raised their asset purchase program by BP50 billion, up to BP325 billion. They say the pace of recovery slowed in 2011, they expect a “significant” shortfall in the UK economy to persist and they think inflation should continue to fall sharply in the near term.

*The ECB left their key interest rates steady at today’s policy meeting, as expected. Bank president Draghi will tell us all about it at his presser, set to begin at 7:30am CST.

*Greece deal said to be closer, but that has been often said. The discussion is said to have narrowed to a few sticking points; “There are issues outstanding that must be resolved” said Greek FinMin Venizelos earlier today, just as has been the case for weeks/months/years.

*The weekly report on Initial Jobless Claims is due out at 7:30am CST, it is expected to be 370k. The December reading of Wholesale Inventories is due out at 9:00am CST; it is forecast to be up 0.4% on a monthly basis.

*The weekly report on inventories of Natural Gas is due out at 9:30am CST, it is expected to show a decline of 86 bcf.

*The Fed is scheduled to buy Treasuries today that are due to mature between 2/15/18 and 11/15/19; the results of the operation will be announced just after 10:00am CST.

*The Treasury plans to sell $16 billion 30 Year Bonds today; the auction results will be announced just after noon CST.

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]]>Janice MeehanThu, 09 Feb 2012 13:55:56 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3442-3-things-to-know-before-trading.aspxDiamond Foods (Nasdaq:DMND): Kicked in the Nuts...-46% in After Market Tradinghttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3441-diamond-foods-nasdaqdmnd-kicked-in-the-nuts-46-in-after-market-trading.aspx
Northern, WI  2/8/2012 (Streetbeat)  --  Diamond Foods Inc removed top management after its audit committee found that the company improperly accounted for payments to walnut growers, sending its shares down 40 percent in after-hours trading. The company, maker of Emerald nuts, Kettle chips and Pop Secret popcorn, also said that earnings for its 2010 and 2011 fiscal years will need to be restated to account for the payments.
The result of the probe has thrown into doubt the company's deal to buy the Pringles potato chip business from Procter & Gamble Co.

Chief Executive Michael Mendes and Chief Financial Officer Steve Neil have been placed on administrative leave, the company said in a statement, adding that it was seeking permanent replacements for the two men.
Diamond named director Rick Wolford as acting chief executive and Michael Murphy of consulting firm Alix Partners as acting finance chief.

The company is being investigated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over the accounting. In addition, the Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. prosecutors have launched a criminal inquiry. The announcement Wednesday is the latest shock to Diamond investors since the probe over payments was announced in November. Adding to the cloud over the company was the suicide that month of Diamond board member Joseph Silveira, who was on the audit committee but recused himself from the probe since he was president of a firm that manages walnut-growing properties.

Diamond's audit committee found that a payment of about $20 million to walnut growers in August 2010 and another amount of about $60 million in September 2011 were not booked in the correct periods, the company said. Additional information could be discovered as part of the audit committee's ongoing investigation or as the financial restatements are prepared, the company said in a filing with the SEC.

The company has been besieged with questions about whether the way the payments were booked was intended to make the company look better while it negotiated to buy Pringles from P&G. A spokesman for P&G said the Diamond announcement was "breaking news" to the company and that it was considering what steps to take next.

"The information released by Diamond Foods is very disappointing," P&G spokesman Paul Fox said. "Pringles remains a valuable asset and it has attracted considerable interest from other outside parties."
"We need to be focused on building Pringles and on its employees." Those employees would move to Diamond under terms of the deal.

One food and beverage industry consultant said he did not expect the Pringles deal to survive. "There's always a chance, but I would think that the Pringles deal is dead," said Tom Pirko, CEO of Bevmark Consulting. Pirko said he expects it to take some time for Diamond -- whose shares have fallen nearly 80 percent since hitting a high of $96.13 in September -- to recover from the probe.  "Essentially what has happened is a kind of surgery to excise a tumor," Pirko said. "The company has lost faith with investors. They're going to have to make wholesale changes to their culture, their business practices, their accounts, their communications."

FALL FROM GRACE

Mendes, whose removal is a fall from grace, joined Diamond in 1991 and quickly rose through the ranks to become CEO in 1997. He transformed the company from a co-operative of walnut growers into one of the biggest snack food companies in the United States.

After the company went public in 2005, Mendes spent millions on popular brands like Pop Secret popcorn and Kettle chips, and moved the company's headquarters from its rural base in Stockton, California, to San Francisco.
Neil, a veteran finance professional, had been CFO since early 2008. He previously held the top finance jobs at lens makers Cooper Cos Inc and Ocular Sciences, and at the generic drugs company Perrigo Co.
Diamond shares fell to $21.13 in after-hours trading from Wednesday's Nasdaq close of $36.66.

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]]>Steve KanavalThu, 09 Feb 2012 00:28:00 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3441-diamond-foods-nasdaqdmnd-kicked-in-the-nuts-46-in-after-market-trading.aspxK12 Inc. (NYSE: LRN) profit falls 46%http://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3440-k12-inc-nyse-lrn-profit-falls-46.aspxNorthern, WI 2/7/12 (StreetBeat) Herndon-based K12 Inc. (NYSE: LRN) suffered a 46 percent drop in net income in its latest quarter as higher expenses overwhelmed higher revenue.

K12, which provides software and support to educators teaching students in kindergarten through 12th grade, reported revenue up 29 percent to $166.5 million in its fiscal 2012 second quarter ended Dec. 31, 2011, due mostly to stronger internal growth.

However, the top line expansion did not translate to the bottom line as net income fell to $4.2 million, 11 cents per diluted share, compared with $7.8 million, 23 cents per diluted share, a year ago as expenses surged 39 percent to $159.4 million.

The company is not forecasting fiscal year 2012 earnings, but expects revenues to be int he $680 million to $690 million range.

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]]>Steve KanavalTue, 07 Feb 2012 17:22:39 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3440-k12-inc-nyse-lrn-profit-falls-46.aspxSolarWinds (NYSE: SWI) Tops Q4 Forecasts: EPS Up 21%, Sales 34%http://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3439-solarwinds-nyse-swi-tops-q4-forecasts-eps-up-21-sales-34.aspxNorthern, WI 2/7/12 (StreetBeat) -- SolarWinds (NYSE: SWI) said it earned 29 cents in the fourth quarter, excluding items, on revenue of $55.6 million, ahead of views.

The business software maker raised revenue guidance for 2012 and kept its profit outlook in-line with earlier company forecasts.

Analysts polled by Thomson/Reuters had estimated profit of 25 cents per share on revenue of $53.87 million.

SolarWinds, a maker of communications network management software, said it earned 29 cents in the three months ended Dec. 31, up 20.8% from the year earlier period. Sales rose 34% to $55.6 million, ahead of forecasts for 30% revenue growth.

On a GAAP basis, diluted earnings per share were 22 cents in the fourth quarter of 2011 compared to 21 cents for the fourth quarter of 2010.

SolarWinds shares jumped at the opening bell. The stock had retreated 4% on Monday after surging to a new high last Friday.

In the fourth quarter, SolarWinds spent $51 million in cash to acquire DNSstuff.com and DameWare Development. The company has focused on expanding product lines and geographically.

"In 2011, we successfully executed against an aggressive plan to extend our unique brand of powerful, affordable, and easy to use IT management software far beyond our traditional network management roots," said Kevin Thompson, SolarWinds president and chief executive officer, in a statement.

Referring to the December acquisitions, Thompson added: "We estimate that we more than doubled our total addressable market opportunity, by dramatically increasing the range of IT management problems our products can solve and our relevancy to IT professionals in any size of business."

In 2012, SolarWinds said it expects revenue in a range of $245 million to $255 million, or 24% to 29% year-over-year growth. SolarWinds said it expects non-GAAP diluted earnings per share of $1.10-$1.15.

"In 2012, we plan to continue disrupting the IT management space, by reshaping expectations around how enterprise software is built, purchased, and used, in order to drive another year of success at SolarWinds," said Thompson.

In early November at an analysts day, Austin, Tex.-based SolarWinds had forecast 2012 sales growth in a range of 23% to 27%.

Consensus 2012 estimates were about $243 million in revenue with EPS of $1.13.

SolarWinds is part of this week's IBD 50, which includes the top 50 stocks based on fundamental and technical factors. SolarWinds is one of seven IBD 50 stocks reporting earnings this week.

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]]>Steve KanavalTue, 07 Feb 2012 17:13:20 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3439-solarwinds-nyse-swi-tops-q4-forecasts-eps-up-21-sales-34.aspxNeurogesX (Nasdaq: NGSX) Shares Plunge After FDA Staff Says Pain Patch Might Not Workhttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3438-neurogesx-nasdaq-ngsx-shares-plunge-after-fda-staff-says-pain-patch-might-not-work.aspxNorthwern, WI 2/7/12 (StreetBeat) -- NeurogesX Inc. (Nasdaq: NGSX) plunged as much as 35 percent after U.S. regulators questioned whether the specialty drugmaker proved its patch relieves pain related to nerve damage commonly associated with HIV.

NeurogesX fell 27 percent to 84 cents at 9:52 a.m., after dropping to as low as 75 cents in the biggest intraday decline since Sept. 29. The company, which hasn’t reported an annual profit since selling shares in 2007, has fallen 84 percent in the past 12 months.

Food and Drug Administration staff raised questions in a report today about whether the prescription-strength capsaicin patch called Qutenza proved “substantial efficacy” in treating pain caused by neuropathy linked to the virus. Advisers to the agency are scheduled to meet Feb. 9 to discuss San Mateo, California-based NeurogesX’s patch.

“It was a mixed data set to begin with so it’s not surprising to see some criticism on the part of the agency,” Gregory Wade, an analyst with Wedbush Securities Inc., said in a telephone interview.

Wade said he expects a panel recommendation in favor of approval. Still, a Qutenza clearance for HIV patients won’t change an “absence of success with its existing marketplace,” he said.

“I don’t think there is a great difference between the market for HIV and what it addresses now,” Wade said.

Nerve Damage

One-third of people with HIV/AIDS experience peripheral nerve damage caused by the virus or drugs used to treat it, according to the Center for Peripheral Neuropathy at the University of Chicago. More than 1.1 million in the U.S. are estimated to be infected with HIV, according to the Atlanta- based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“It would not be in the best interest of these patients for us to approve a product for which substantial evidence of efficacy has not been demonstrated, or one for which the benefits do not clearly outweigh the risks,” Bob Rappaport, director of the agency’s division of anesthesia, analgesia and addiction products, wrote in a letter in the report.

The FDA is scheduled to decide whether to approve Qutenza by March 7. The agency doesn’t have to follow the advisory panel’s recommendation.

No Drugs

No FDA-approved drugs exist for HIV-associated neuropathy, according to NeurogesX. Painkillers and narcotics are recommended to treat the condition, according to the Center for Peripheral Neuropathy. Capsaicin is the chemical that makes chili peppers hot.

The FDA approved Qutenza in November 2009 for lasting pain after a shingles infection. The product sells for $675 a patch and has almost 1,000 customers, Anthony DiTonno, former president and chief executive officer, said at the Lazard Healthcare Conference, according to a Nov. 18 transcript.

The FDA found one test showed Qutenza worked when used for 90 minutes and failed to show effectiveness when used for an hour or 30 minutes. Later analyses based on alternative testing showed the 30-minute application worked, the agency said.

Qutenza failed to show efficacy in both hour-long and 30- minute uses in a second study, according to FDA’s staff report. Again using alternative testing later, the patch showed it worked in the 30-minute application.

The agency is asking the advisory panel to determine whether the studies provided substantial evidence the patch works for HIV-associated neuropathy and whether Qutenza should be approved.

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]]>Steve KanavalTue, 07 Feb 2012 16:56:08 GMThttp://www.thestreetbeat.com/street-beat-articles-29/3438-neurogesx-nasdaq-ngsx-shares-plunge-after-fda-staff-says-pain-patch-might-not-work.aspx