Market Commentary

Mirant Corp. (MIR) Difficult economic times prompt companies to evaluate a number of different possibilities with the hopes of increasing profits during a downturn. Some companies consider new ventures that step outside of their current business while others search for mergers or acquisitions. With any of these options, the company runs the risk of actually
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United Airlines (UAUA) As the saying goes, history is bound to repeat itself. So it should be no surprise that in the last few days, we’ve begun to hear reports of discussions that have been undertaken many times before. In particular, discussions of a merger between major airlines United and US Airways (LCC: Charts, News).
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Target Corp. (TGT) Target blew the lid off earnings estimates for March same-store sales, by posting a 10.3% increase, beating the initial 7.8% estimate. This trend is expected to continue through the rest of the spring. Gregg Steinhafel, Target CEO said, “The combination of actual March and projected April sales performance is expected to produce
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Blockbuster (BBI) Blockbuster announced yesterday that it has successfully orchestrated new rental distribution deals with 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The movie rental giant has watched the landscape of the media rental industry change dramatically over its 25 year existence. It has seen new movie rental business models like Netflix
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Primerica (PRI) Primerica (PRI: Charts, News), formerly a subsidiary of Citigroup (C: Charts, News) raised $320.4 million during its initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange last week. 21.4 million shares sold for $15 apiece, beating the estimate of 18 million shares at $12 to $14 that Citi had projected. Daily Chart If
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Sandridge Energy (SD) The energy sector is always shifting pace to meet the needs of consumers across the world. This is evident in the price of various resources within the sector such as oil and natural gas. Companies involved in this sector are constantly trying to find the right balance between their offerings and the
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Research in Motion (RIMM) Research in Motion (RIMM: Charts, News), the leading manufacturer of wireless smart phones and related technology reported earnings of $710.1 million in fiscal 10Q4, an increase over the corresponding quarter in 2009. A great earnings report, except analyst consensus had projected a profit of $1.28 per share. The RIM fell short
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PepsiCo (PEP) For folks in their thirties and forties, the Cola Wars were a big part of growing up in America. The battle between Pepsi (PEP: Charts, News) and Coke (KO: Charts, News) was a good-natured, but a serious struggle to see who could dominate the $60 billion soft drink market. Huge ad campaigns, logo
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