Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Qiagen Down Pre-Market, Despite Exceeding Forecasts

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Qiagen N.V., a diagnostic technology holding company, posted 2Q earnings yesterday which beat expectations.  Despite the positive news, stock of QGEN continues to lose ground pre-market after dropping .7% yesterday. As of 8:19AM EDT, shares were off 3.58% to 18.84 on 106,880 shares volume (average volume 2.32 million.) Qiagen is nearing its 52-week low of $18.06.

According to reuters, net income for Qiagen’s second quarter was $38.5 million. expected net income was $31.8 million.

-Michael B. Sauter

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Monday, August 9, 2010

Options Explosion in H-P (HPQ)

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Hewlett-Packard Company (HPQ) was one we knew that there was going to be a massive volume spike in today when it came to the stock.  Rather than almost 20 million shares in a day, we have seen over 108 million shares trade hands.  The stock is lower by 6.7% at $42.90 after hitting 52-week lows in the Friday evening after-hours session.

What is also standing out is major put and call option trading.   It is not even NOON EST yet and we have seen over 30,000 CALLS in AUG-2010 and over 20,000 PUTS in AUG-2010 trade hands.  For September-2010 we have also just gone above the 30,000 contract mark for the CALLS and over 23,000 contracts trade in the PUTS.

So far the trading in the JAN-2011 options have seen much more trading volume in the PUTS versus the CALLS: over 12,000 PUTS versus only about 6,000 CALLS.

JON C. OGG

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Nabors Set To Buy Superior Well Services

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Superior Well Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: SWSI) rocketed up at 8:35 AM EST 20.84%, resulting in shares increasing from $18.23 to $20.03.  This move is the result of Superior Well’s purchase by land rig contractor Nabors Industries Ltd. (NYSE: NBR) for approximately $900 million.  The morning has thus seen the movement of 2,964,810 shares, compared with Superior Well’s average volume of 547,172 shares.  The company’s success can also be measured with attention to its 52-week trading range, which currently stands at $5.66 â€" $19.96.

The pressure pumping company also just posted Q2 profits of $0.18 a share, totalling $6.1 million.  This is compared with analyst expectations, which predicted a loss of $0.10 per share.

-Michael B. Sauter

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Thursday, August 5, 2010

Kulicke and Soffa Report Positive Q3 Earnings

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Kulicke and Soffa Inc. (NASDAQ: KLIC) increased 13.19% from $7.20 to $8.15 at 8:35 AM EST this morning in pre-market trading following a third quarter profit of $0.65 per share and a revenue of $221.3 million.  Original estimates placed quarter earnings at $0.53 a share with a revenue of $205.3 million.  The company has also traded 51,510, compared with a daily average 2,244,910.  This move comes during a 52-week range of $4.03 â€" $9.58.

Kulicke and Soffa Inc. make semiconductor assembly equipment.  The company has announced that they expect a revenue of $250 million to $260 million for the fourth quarter.

-Michael B. Sauter

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Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Priceline Rockets Past Q2 Estimates

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Priceline.com Incorporated (NASDAQ: PCLN) shot upwards in pre-market trading today from $230.67 to $270, a price increase of 17.05%.  This movement, which took place at 8:35 AM EST, is the result of an unexpectedly positive earnings review in which priceline.com reported earnings of $3.09 per share on revenue of $767.4 million, beating estimates of $2.65 per share on revenues of $733 million.

This increase for the internet travel company comes during at 52-week trading range of $128.36 â€" $273.93.  The average daily volume for the company is 1,633,640.

-Michael B. Sauter

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What are the factors determining the rise and fall of monetary evaluation of a currency?

Before embarking into the aggressive world of forex, it is paramount to analyse and apprise the constituents that check the advancement and the decline of a currency. It is important to understand how to trade forex.

For instance, a couple of years back, $1 was equal to Rs. 46 against the Indian Rupee. This merely entails that for the exchange of every one dollar bill an individual or an entity gets is Rs. 46 in exchange of the dollar. Following are the list of constituents that check the rise and fall of a currency;

Inflation – It is the consequence of ascending inflation in the United States of America, due to high growth in oil prices in modern years that the American currency dollar bill has fallen behind on many grounds versus the Indian rupee, that stand at around Rs. 43 for now. Rise in rising prices proves to be a potent component when aiming your bet on a currency. War, growth in oil prices, earthy calamity, governmental disorder are some of the agents that bestow to inflation, which is defined as rise in prices.

Demographics – Demographic of population, the age of population, the literacy rate of people are as important for influencing the economical valuation of a currency affiliated with a state. For instance, a secure dollar against Indian rupee only means that American economic system is booming at a much gush rate than the Indian economy. The demographics of people bring to the infrastructural and occupational essentials of a country, thereby casting a rich economical growth for the nation.

These are some of essentials that one should look into before trading the forex.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Sykes Suffers Following Q2 Announcement

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Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated fell way down in pre-market trading afting posting weak Q2 profits.  At 8:35 AM EST the company is down 31.37%, from $15.30 to $10.50, and has already traded 58,700 shares.  This is significant for pre-market trading as Sykes’ average volume is just 401,211.  This comes during a 52-week trading range of $13.48 â€" $26.91.

For Q2, the business process outsourcing company announced earnings of $0.14 per share.  This is compared with estimates of $0.30.  Sykes now predicts 2010 adjusted earnings of $0.81 to $0.83 a share.  This is a major drop from earlier predictions of $1.33 a share to $1.50.

-Michael B. Sauter

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Monday, August 2, 2010

DryShips Looks Good In Pre-Market Trading

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DryShips, Inc. (NASDAQ: DRYS) was slightly up this morning in pre-market trading as its rating was moved from Hold to Buy.  At 8:35 AM EST the company was up 3.99% from $4.51 to $4.69 and has traded 41,720 shares.  The average volume for the company is 12,073,700 market shares.  This comes in the middle of the 52 week trading range of $3.28 â€" $7.99.

DryShips has recently featured a high rate of volatility, implying that the the stock is neither overbought nor oversold for its price.

-Michael B. Sauter

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Sunday, August 1, 2010

Volume Spike Investor

Stock Assault 2.0 - Artificial Intelligence Stock Market SoftwareCrown Media Holdings, Inc (NASDAQ: CRWN) is listed under ticker “CRWNE” under some quote systems because of the recapitalization that was completed at the end of June.  The stock happens to be the largest percentage gainer today with a 51.7% price gain at a price of $2.70.  The price hit a high earlier today of $2.93 and the new adjusted 52-week range is $1.19 to $2.93.  At 1:10 PM EST there have been some 350,000 shares traded versus an average daily volume of only about 35,000 shares.

A 52-week high on a 10X volume alert is hard to ignore even for a $2 or $3 stock… This is the owner of cable TV stations and currently owns and operates The Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel in the U.S. to 86 million subscribers.  The distribution is via a network of over 5,300 cable systems, communities, and satellite services.

When the company announced on June 29 its recapitalization completion, it noted the following data: “The Recapitalization transactions include, among other things, approximately $1.162 billion of amounts due to Hallmark Cards and its affiliates being restructured into $315.0 million principal amount of new debt instruments with maturities of December 31, 2013, $185.0 million liquidation preference of convertible preferred stock of the Company, Class B Common Stock being converted into Class A Common Stock with Class A Common Stock becoming the only authorized and outstanding common stock of the Company, and 254,887,860 shares of Class A Common Stock of the Company.”

It further noted: “Other aspects of the Recapitalization include a Credit Agreement for the new debt, an amendment to the Tax Sharing Agreement with Hallmark Cards, a registration rights agreement, an increase in the authorized Class A Common Stock to 500,000,000 shares and a decrease in the authorized preferred stock to 1,000,000 shares, mergers of two intermediate holding companies with and into the Company and a stockholders’ agreement pursuant to which certain Hallmark entities agree not to acquire, through December 31, 2013, additional shares of Class A Common Stock of the Company, subject to certain exceptions, and agree to certain restrictions on their ability to sell or transfer shares of Class A Common Stock of the Company until December 31, 2013 and, subject to lesser restrictions, until December 31, 2020. Concurrent with the closing of the Recapitalization transaction, the Company has also amended its credit facility with JP Morgan Chase Bank to continue a $30 million revolving credit facility through June 30, 2011, which will provide additional short-term liquidity to the Company.”

The company has also recently noted that the CFO, Brian Stewart, has resigned with an effective date of August 20, 2010.  That is after the scheduled August 12 earnings report date.

The last time this one traded this many shares was on June 25, back when the stock traded 451,600 shares, with a $1.71 close.  The last time this was above $2.00 was in April and March 2010 when the highs were $2.01 and $2.06 respectively.  This one was above $3.00 back in May 2009 and above $5.00 in October 2008.

JON C. OGG

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Friday, July 30, 2010

Power-One Moves On Q2/Q3 Announcement

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Power-One, Inc. (NASDAQ: PWER) shot up at 8:35 AM EST from $9.96 to $11.73, an increase of 17.77%.  This pre-market movement came following an announcement that the company had a second quarter revenue of  $215 million and profits of 17 cents a share, beating the Street consensus of $185.7 million in revenue and profits of 10 cents a share.  The company has also projected impressive third quarter earnings.  These numbers come during a 52-week range of $1.19 â€" $10.28.

The company traded 95,505 shares this morning, compared with the daily average 2,769,270.

Power-One, Inc. design and sell power management solutions for renewable energy, communications infrastructure, and other high technology markets.

-Michael B. Sauter

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Thursday, July 29, 2010

10X Volume Alert in Crown Media (CRWN)

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Crown Media Holdings, Inc (NASDAQ: CRWN) is listed under ticker “CRWNE” under some quote systems because of the recapitalization that was completed at the end of June.  The stock happens to be the largest percentage gainer today with a 51.7% price gain at a price of $2.70.  The price hit a high earlier today of $2.93 and the new adjusted 52-week range is $1.19 to $2.93.  At 1:10 PM EST there have been some 350,000 shares traded versus an average daily volume of only about 35,000 shares.

A 52-week high on a 10X volume alert is hard to ignore even for a $2 or $3 stock… This is the owner of cable TV stations and currently owns and operates The Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel in the U.S. to 86 million subscribers.  The distribution is via a network of over 5,300 cable systems, communities, and satellite services.

When the company announced on June 29 its recapitalization completion, it noted the following data:
“The Recapitalization transactions include, among other things, approximately $1.162 billion of amounts due to Hallmark Cards and its affiliates being restructured into $315.0 million principal amount of new debt instruments with maturities of December 31, 2013, $185.0 million liquidation preference of convertible preferred stock of the Company, Class B Common Stock being converted into Class A Common Stock with Class A Common Stock becoming the only authorized and outstanding common stock of the Company, and 254,887,860 shares of Class A Common Stock of the Company.”

It further noted:
“Other aspects of the Recapitalization include a Credit Agreement for the new debt, an amendment to the Tax Sharing Agreement with Hallmark Cards, a registration rights agreement, an increase in the authorized Class A Common Stock to 500,000,000 shares and a decrease in the authorized preferred stock to 1,000,000 shares, mergers of two intermediate holding companies with and into the Company and a stockholders’ agreement pursuant to which certain Hallmark entities agree not to acquire, through December 31, 2013, additional shares of Class A Common Stock of the Company, subject to certain exceptions, and agree to certain restrictions on their ability to sell or transfer shares of Class A Common Stock of the Company until December 31, 2013 and, subject to lesser restrictions, until December 31, 2020. Concurrent with the closing of the Recapitalization transaction, the Company has also amended its credit facility with JP Morgan Chase Bank to continue a $30 million revolving credit facility through June 30, 2011, which will provide additional short-term liquidity to the Company.”

The company has also recently noted that the CFO, Brian Stewart, has resigned with an effective date of August 20, 2010.  That is after the scheduled August 12 earnings report date.

The last time this one traded this many shares was on June 25, back when the stock traded 451,600 shares, with a $1.71 close.  The last time this was above $2.00 was in April and March 2010 when the highs were $2.01 and $2.06 respectively.  This one was above $3.00 back in May 2009 and above $5.00 in October 2008.

JON C. OGG

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Turn For Symantec In Pre-Market Trading Following Q1 Performance

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Symantec Corporation (NASDAQ: SYMC) has fallen behind earnings after announcing Q1 profits of $0.20 per share compared to a market expectation of $0.35 per share.  At 8:35 AM EST Symantec was down 9.75% from $14.67 to $13.24 and has traded 241,310 shares, compared with the daily average of 15,290,500, making it one of the greatest losers with regards to both volume and percentage in today’s pre-market trading.  This comes during a 52-week range of $13.58 â€" $19.16.  Shares are currently trading below both the 50-day and 200-day price averages.

This downturn comes amidst rising concern over competitive threats to Symantec’s primary business, which is software security.

-Michael B. Sauter

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Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Exponential Volume Alert in California Pizza Kitchen (CPKI)

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California Pizza Kitchen Inc. (NASDAQ: CPKI) has traded nearly 3-times normal volume today and it is not even NOON EST yet.  Reports are out that it is close to a deal to be acquired by a private equity firm, although this remains a rumor at this point.  The pizza and food chain has been on the market for a while, but the stock is up 9.3% at $18.34 on over 966,000 shares at 11:54 PM EST.

The 52-week range is $12.29 to $22.92 and the average volume here was only about 320,000 shares.

Something may be brewing, and the $447 million market cap today against Thomson Reuters revenue estimates of $641.36 million for 2010 and $675.28 million for 2011 would certainly not put the firm out of the scope of private equity even when credit is harder to come by.

JON C. OGG

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DJSP Faces Premarket Woes

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DJSP Enterprises, Inc. decreased dramatically this morning in premarket trading with regards to percentage. At 8:35 AM EST the company was down from $4.78 to $4, a change of 16.32%.  This follows Tuesday’s announcement that that company had completed its acquisition of Timios, Inc., a move which DJSP CEO David Stern refers to as, “a significant step forward in [DJSP's] quest to become the leading cyclical provider of products and services to the mortgage and real estate industries.”

This drop comes during a 52-week trading range of $4.66 - $13.65.  The company’s average daily volume is 274,880.

DJSP Enterprises, Inc. provides both non-legal and legal-related real estate services throughout the United States.  They are based in Plantation, FL.

-Michael B. Sauter

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Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Rambus Moves In Premarket After Winning Patent Fight

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Rambus, Inc. (NASDAQ: RMBS) made significant moves this morning after winning a lengthy legal battle, for the time being, concerning patent infringement with Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA).  At 8:35 AM EST Rambus was up 10.52% from $19.59 to $21.65 and had traded 73,598 shares, which is approximately 3.25% of average volume for market trading.  This movement comes in the middle of a 52-week trading range of $15.21 - $26.00.

Rambus, Inc. designs and develops chips used in digital electronics products.  Nvidia, a graphic chip maker, has been ordered to halt the import of patent-infringing chips, however, the company plans to appeal the decision.

-Michael B. Sauter

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Monday, July 26, 2010

Elevated Trading in Rambus Options (RMBS)

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Is Rambus Inc. (NASDAQ: RMBS) going to see a resolution to its never-ending patent case sooner than many of us expect?  Options trading is elevated today, and mostly in the Call options rather than the Put options.  Almost all of the activity is in the AUG-2010 Calls as well, at least two to one in favor of the Calls as of 2:00 PM.  There has also been no rolling out on dates that has been seen.

Below is the trading activity we have seen:

As far as the stock volume rather than options volume, shares are up 4.2% at $19.79 on just over 2.3 million shares.  That volume is just now reaching an average day’s trading volume in the stock and the 52-week range is $15.21 to $26.00.

Usually the call options trade around 2,000 contracts on a light day and closer to 5,000 on a normal day.  This implies that more focus is being put in the options arena than the stock arena today.

JON C. OGG

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Major Options Alert in US Airways (LCC)

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US Airways Group, Inc. (NYSE: LCC) is the airline nobody wants, or so it seems, when it comes to an airline merger.  What if that notion is wrong?  US Airways shares are at $10.68 and the 52-week range is $2.25 to $10.87.  Exponential gains were available for those who took a stab and held on.  The stock was under $6.00 as recently as February.  There was a very unusual options alert that came off this morning in US Air’s stock via the AUG-2010 CALLS:

CALL$    Volume    OpInt
$9.00    4,447    17,288
$10.00    18,581    23,271
$12.00    34,183    859

What appears to have happened is that a trader locked in significant gains in the $10 strike call options for August.  The $9.00 calls may have been a part, but we did not see those as active until right before posting this notion.

A trader appears to have locked in major upside gains at more than $1.00 and rolled some of the profit proceeds into the higher $12.00 strike call options to keep some potential upside of US Air’s shares keep running.

Despite no major negative earnings reports from the major money center and super-regional banks in America, the Q2-2010 reports seen so far in this July’s earnings season has brought a mixed fanfare for the major US banking giants.

Generally speaking this is not a new speculation trade, but it can be indicative that a bullish trader still has some hope of a deal or further positive development.  Locking in gains and pressing part of the bet to stay positive (as we have just seen)  is still a better indication that taking the money off the table entirely.

JON C. OGG

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Genzyme Active On Continued Buyout Rumors (GENZ)

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Genzyme Corp. (NASDAQ: GENZ) has made early gains as more rumors about the company and its potential buyers continues to surface. Shortly after the market closed friday, Sanofi-Aventis (NYSE: SNY) approached the biotech company with the explicit intention of considering purchase. GENZ is up 5.57% to $66 at 8:04 AM EDT. At that time the stock had traded 114 thousand shares volume with an average volume of 3.8 million.

Sanofi-Aventis is not the only Biotech company which has been speculated to have interest in Genzyme. GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK) and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) are also considered potential suitors.

-Michael B. Sauter

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Friday, July 23, 2010

ARM Holdings Set To Hit 52-Week High After Microsoft Licenses Technology (ARMH)

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ARM Holdings plc (NASDAQ: ARMH) made premarket gains in excess of 10% after long-time partner Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) signed a license agreement to utilize the company’s ARM® architecture as a multifunction technology in their business. at 8:25 AM EDT, ARMH is up 10.56% to $1.52 on only 46 thousand shares volume (2.9 million average volume). With a 52-week range of $5.91 to $14.98, ARM is set to hit a 52-week high this morning as the microprocessor intellectual property continues its almost uninterrupted rise for the past two years.

ARMH’s ARM® Arcitecture is used in more that a billion mobile devices worldwide.

-Michael B. Sauter

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Thursday, July 22, 2010

Mellanox Loses Ground in Pre-Market Trading (MLNX)

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Mellanox Technologies, Ltd. (NASDAQ: MLNX)  is down $4.24 (18.48%) at 8:35 AM EST to $18.70 and has already traded 95,265 shares.  This comes in the middle of the 52-week trading range of $12.90 to $27.48.  Mellanox features a market cap of $769.52 million.

This drop comes as a bit of a surprise considering the fact that Mellanox, a fabless semiconductor based out of Israel, announced yesterday record revenue in its fiscal second quarter 2010.  Nevertheless, stocks have been down throughout this week.

-Michael B. Sauter

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