CHB: Zacks Earnings and Margins Strategy highlights: Advisory Board Co., AAR Corp., Champion Enterprises, and Western Sierra Bancorp 932 words 10 November 2005 05:00 am Business Wire English (c) 2005 Business Wire. All Rights Reserved. CHICAGO - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Nov. 10, 2005 - Earnings are the single most important metric for a company. Combine that with a healthy Net Profit Margin and you find a screen that has generated a cumulative return of +425% since January 2001. During the first half of 2005, this screen continued its winning ways with a +13.8% return. This screen is called the Earnings and Margins Profit Track strategy. Here are four stocks meeting this screen's exclusive criteria: Advisory Board Co. (NASDAQ:ABCO), AAR Corp. (NYSE:AIR), Champion Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:CHB), and Western Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:WSBA). View the entire list of stocks for the Earnings and Margins Profit Track at http://at.zacks.com/?id=1858 Here are four companies that meet the following Earnings and Margin Profit Track: Advisory Board Co. (NASDAQ:ABCO) reported fiscal second-quarter earnings in late October. The result topped last year's second quarter and matched the consensus estimate. The company noted that its performance was driven by cutting-edge research agendas and continued program innovation, which led to strong renewal performance and continued growth across ABCO's program portfolio. The company, which has a net margin of .16, managed to produce annual earnings growth of about 15% above the previous year. AAR Corp. (NYSE:AIR) generated impressive earnings growth of 400% last year over the previous year. The company, a worldwide leader in supplying aftermarket products and services to the global aerospace/aviation industry, reported fiscal first-quarter earnings of 15 cents per share in late September. The result surpassed the consensus estimate by about 7% and eclipsed last year's first-quarter earnings. The company stated that sales and earnings growth for the quarter were driven by increased sales in the Aviation Supply Chain, Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul and Structures & Systems segments. Champion Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:CHB) posted third-quarter earnings of 20 cents per share in mid-October, matching analysts' expectations and outperforming the year prior total. The company stated that the third quarter was marked by continued progress toward attaining its goals of improved margins and modular growth. CHB experienced earnings growth of almost 120% for its most recently completed year versus the previous year. Western Sierra Bancorp (NASDAQ:WSBA) is a profitable company as evidenced by its net margin of .20. WSBA has also demonstrated solid year-over-year growth with the full year 2004 posting earnings growth of nearly 20% above the year prior. In mid-October, the company announced GAAP earnings of 59 cents per share for the third quarter. The result improved on last year's 49 cents and outpaced the consensus estimate by almost 2%. Discover all the current stocks currently on the Earnings and Margin Profit Track at: http://at.zacks.com/?id=1859
GYMB earnings beat Street, co raises FY view Wed Nov 16, 2005 04:34 PM ET (Adds forecast, other details) LOS ANGELES, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Gymboree Corp. (GYMB.O: Quote, Profile, Research) on Wednesday reported third-quarter results that beat Wall Street analysts' estimates and raised its profit outlook for the year on improved sales at its children's apparel stores. Net income for the third quarter tripled to $12.6 million, or 39 cents per share, from $4.2 million, or 13 cents per share, a year ago. Wall Street analysts had expected the San Francisco-based company to report earnings of between 35 cents and 38 cents per share with an average view of 37 cents per share, according to Reuters Estimates. Total sales rose nearly 14 percent to $177.1 million, slightly ahead of analysts' average estimate of $174.8 million, according to Reuters Estimates. Sales at stores open at least a year, a key measure for retailers, rose 10 percent during the quarter. Gymboree said it still expects earnings from continuing operations of 37 cents to 39 cents per share in the fourth quarter. For the year, the company forecast earnings from continuing operations of 81 cents to 83 cents a share. It had said previously that earnings would be in the range of 77 cents to 81 cents a share. For next year, Gymboree said it expects to earn $1.03 per share to $1.09 per share, above analysts' average estimate of $1.01 per share. Costs for expensing stock-based compensation, however, will reduce earnings by 8 cents to 10 cents a share, the company said. Gymboree shares closed at $19.62 Wednesday on Nasdaq. My target $25 at the end of 2005, $30 next year. Tomorrow, easy to jump $1-2 like LAZ several days ago. GYMB's earning is better than LAZ and raise the outlook in 2006
The Gymboree Corporation upgrade on Q4 and FY 2005 EPS Outlook; Issues FY 2006 continue growing. GYMBOREE CORP - GYMB: Q3 Results Adj 39c vs 24c; Beats 37c Est; Raise 2006 guidance. Easy money here. Target $25, should see $1-2 jump today. I believe GYMB's earning is much better than LAZ and GYMB 's financial ratios are more attractive with less outstanding shares. Moreover, company repurchase 55M shares started from Oct 28th 2005. My long term target for this one is $30 by 2006. GYMB is a safe play with lot of upper space.
Add more GYMB shares here, no much downside risk, play with momentum. $21 today is very possible. Same pattern, samll investors sell on news in the beginning, followed by the institutional investor buy more.
VALUELINE raise its target on GYMB from range $17-30 last week to today's $20-$30, the lowest price for GYMB in the next 12 months above $20 and the Timeliness raised to No 1. recently. Here is the research report on GYMB on Nov 11. Sales trends at Gymboree appear to be improving markedly. In the last three-month period, the retailer of children's clothing registered better-than-anticipated same-store sales gains, aided by a continued pickup in the boys' category. Despite certain promotional events being pushed out later in the quarter, store traffic remained brisk and gross margins strengthened. Indeed, the gross margin improvement reflects a favorable customer response to the merchandise, leading to fewer markdowns and more full-priced selling. We've raised our earnings estimate for fiscal 2005 (ends January 28, 2006). Assuming mall traffic around the holidays doesn't slow, we expect a healthy finish to the year. Gross margins should benefit from several measures implemented recently, including supply-chain initiatives intended to lower product costs. Better coordinating the timing of product offerings with key selling seasons and running promotions at strategic times of the year are other steps being taken to shore up margins. Stable SG&A costs should increase leverage on the expense front, meantime. All told, we look for share-earnings to jump more than 55% this year. We also think a profit advance of about 23% is within reach in 2006, on wider margins and a lower share count. Long-term growth prospects seem encouraging, given the company's two other retail concepts. So far, the Janie & Jack chain is performing well. Customer traffic at the J&J shops, which offer premium-priced, high-quality apparel and gift items for newborns and toddlers, continues to be strong. GYMB expects this division to be slightly accretive to earnings this year and more so next year. Expanding the 60-store chain to 150-200 units over the next few years should help drive sales and profits. Although too early to tell, the Janeville concept, which is still in test mode, has the potential to make contributions in the coming years, as well. This assumes its line of casual apparel is accepted by its target market, women in their 30s.
ValuEngine gives 3 stars to GYMB with all positive forecast: Target $25 in the next 12 month period: Target Price* Expected Return 1-Month 19.71 0.45% 3-Month 19.84 1.10% 6-Month 20.21 3.03% 1-Year 20.66 5.32% 2-Year 21.39 9.04% 3-Year 23.93 21.98% ValuEngine Smart Ratings Very Attractive: To Day Traders Very Attractive: To Momentum Investors Attractive: To Market Leader Investors Attractive: To Growth-at- Reasonable-Price Investors Neutral: To Balanced Investors Neutral: To Classic- Value Investors Neutral: To Conservative Investors I bet GYMB still cheap at $20 level, will hold it until at least $23
In IM and EMC here, both software industry and hightech company with strong financial. IM improve its revenue growth and profit margin and EMC square is well known with strong earning background. Both of these two stocks heavily undervalued.
Buy some LSI shares follow my TA model alert. Very good bottom formed with good earning recently. LSI is well positioned to extend its leadership role in the storage market. In the RAID segment, its 1078 system chip continues to exceed expectations in both silicon readiness and in execution. Design wins for next-generation connectivity products (serial attached SCSI) continue to rise at a brisk pace, which augurs well for this quickly growing market. LSI is doing well in the RAID host bus adapter area, as well. As business in the white box server market grows, it should yield incrementally higher margins. New product releases should help boost revenues on the storage system side, too. LSI's investments in the consumer business should pay off. This unit experienced robust gains of 22%, year over year, in the June quarter, and new orders here promise further strength ahead. The DVD recorder market should be a big boon. Analysts look for this market to double in 2005, with LSI taking about a 45%-50% share. Design wins for its single-chip processor designed for combination units, which contain both a DVD recorder and a DVR (uses a hard drive), have been good. Analysts look for this market to grow substantially over the next 12 months. RapidChip (RC) seems to be gaining traction. This line combines the high-performance benefits of ASIC chips with the quick time-to-market and customization attributes of field-programmable gate arrays. The affordability of RC should make it a hit with small and mid-sized businesses. Larger customers, too, appear to be interested in using RC as a development platform. They would still switch over to ASIC at some point, but be able to reach full-volume production in a fraction of the time. Analysts look for RC volume to ramp up in the coming quarters. Profitability should rise. R&D will probably remain high, but the operating line should benefit from lower SG&A outlays. A reduction in depreciation expense is probable, too, due to the impairment of the Gresham facility. All told, share profits should make sizable gains in 2005 and 2006. Timely LSI stock has strong appeal, thanks to the good earnings growth prospects. If LSI rebounce, it maybe test $10 soon.
Add more shares SCS with its business growth and TA timliness.3 month chart looks lucrative. Also built more position on LSI, my TA model shows a bottom play here. LSI valued by Valueline with target $17 to $30 with timeliness 2. I am bullish here. Steelcase's Think(R) Chair Wins the Design for Asia Award 543 words 21 November 2005 07:00 am PR Newswire (U.S.) English Copyright © 2005 PR Newswire Association LLC. All Rights Reserved. GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Nov. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Steelcase Inc. , a global office environments manufacturer, today announced that it has been selected as a recipient of the 2005 Design for Asia Award, an international design competition sponsored by the Hong Kong Design Centre, that awards companies for designs that reflect, or have an impact on, the Asian lifestyle. Steelcase received this distinction for the Think(R) chair - a smart, simple and environmentally sustainable seating product. Created in collaboration with designer Glen Oliver Low, McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry and the Institute for Product Development in Copenhagen, the Think chair conforms to the highest environmental standards and raises the bar in cradle-to-cradle design and life-cycle thinking. Think addresses the growing need for ergonomic seating and was lauded at the Design for Asia Awards ceremony as an outstanding achievement in design. The Think chair provides ultimate support for a full range of postures, allowing users to stay focused without distraction or fatigue. Combined with an elegant and innovative design, the Think chair also adheres to the toughest environmental standards, including Japan's "Green Purchasing Law," which was designed to increase the percentage of materials and parts that have a reduced environmental impact and have the ability to be completely recycled (cradle- to-grave development process). "It is an honor to receive the Design for Asia Award, which is recognized as one of the most prestigious international awards in design," said James Ludwig, Director of Design for Steelcase. "This award pays tribute to Steelcase's ability to create user-centered products that combine aesthetic appeal with function and environmental sensibility, attributes that are extremely important to the Asian market." The Think chair officially launched in Asia in March 2005 and was met with great success. The chair experienced double digit growth in Japan this year and Steelcase expects similar growth in the Asian market over the next few years. Based on the chair's success in Asia and North America, the Think chair also debuted in Australia this past August. The Design for Asia Award is dedicated to promoting design excellence and seeks to raise awareness that good design is an important factor for business success. Judged on the design's excellence, its impact and influence within Asia and on Asian lifestyles, and the commercial success of the design, Steelcase's Think chair was chosen from over 500 entries (including apparel and accessories, communication, interior/spatial, and product designs) from North America, Europe and Asia.
CHB, a Hurricane play, easy money here. Now the whole Louisiana (and some other states) need to be rebuilted in a short time under government's funding. The demand side on the factory-built homes is enormous (more than you can imagine).CHB is the number one factory-built homes company and has strong relationship with government. I bet most of the factory-built homes order will give to CHB. Here is the proof: CHB recently received a $60 million order for 2,000 single-section manufactured homes from FEMA, in connection with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, which should lift CHB's top and bottom lines during the final stanza of 2005. Excluding the FEMA order, Champion's backlog at the end of the third quarter was up 47%, relative to the year-ago figure. However, with the FEMA request taken into account, third-quarter backlog jumped an impressive 97%. I will say even $30 for CHB won't suprise me. It is so cheap here, good time to buy.