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After Hours: SolarCity, Gap Crash, Stamps.com, MaxLinear Rise

SolarCity ( SCTY ), Gap ( GPS ), Stamps.com ( STMP ) and  MaxLinear ( MXL ) were among those reporting quarterly earnings or preliminary figures after the close on Monday. SolarCity SolarCity’s per-share loss deepened to $2.56, worse than an expected loss of $2.32. GAAP revenue surged to around $123 million, topping estimates for $109.8 million. But the residential solar-energy systems installer expects a second-quarter loss that was far worse than investors expected. SolarCity cut its full-year installation forecast to 1.0-1.1 gigawatts from 1.25 gigawatts and said first-quarter bookings were weak Shares tumbled 14% in late trading after closing up 3.1% on the stock market today . The company in a Q1 review cut its full-year installation forecast to 1.0-1.1 gigawatts from 1.25 gigawatts and said first-quarter bookings were weak. The company, whose chairman is Tesla ( TSLA ) CEO Elon Musk, also said regulatory decisions, pending or resolved, hindered potential decisions on purchases. Gap Gap expects first-quarter EPS of 31 to 32 cents, below analysts’ consensus for 33 cents after saying that sales fell 6% to $3.44 billion, well below Wall Street’s $3.54 billion target. April same-store sales fell 7%. The struggling apparel retail also said it’s evaluating its Banana Republic and Old Navy chains, mainly outside the U.S. Gap shares plunged 11% in extended trading after closing up 0.7% at 21.81. Gap will report full Q1 results on May 19. Stamps.com Stamps.com earned $1.72 a share in its Q1, up 139% vs. a year earlier. Revenue rose 86% to $81.8 million. Wall Street had expected EPS of $1.06 on revenue of $65.61 million. Stamps.com now sees full-year EPS of $6-6.50 and revenue of $310 million-$330 million. Analysts had forecast EPS $5.28 and revenue of $301.8 million. Stamps.com stock leapt 17% in late trading. Shares closed up 4.7% to 88.34, trying to break a 2-month downtrend since hitting a record high of 123.75 on May 4. MaxLinear MaxLinear ( MXL ) stock rose late Monday after the wireless chipmaker reported strong first quarter earnings growth and said it will buy the wireless infrastructure backhaul business of Broadcom ( AVGO ) for $80 million. On April 28, MaxLinear announced that it had bought assets related to Microsemi’s ( MSCC ) wireless business, which was previously part of PMC-Sierra, for $21 million plus some assumed liability. MaxLinear’s Q1 EPS minus one-time items shot up to 45 cents vs. 9 cents a share in the same quarter a year ago, beating analyst estimates by 2 cents. Revenue grew 190% to $102.7 million, edging views for $102.2 million, partly on strong early ramp sale of its high-speed optical interconnect products. MaxLinear shares rose 3% late.  

‘Stagefright’ Spurs Security Probe Of Google, Apple, Telecom Firms

Federal regulators, citing global worries over the “Stagefright” security flaw, on Monday said they would seek information from Google, Apple ( AAPL ), AT&T ( T ), Verizon Communications ( VZ ) and others on software updates and measures to combat hacking. Alphabet ( GOOGL )-owned Google last week announced fixes to the Stagefright vulnerability . Apple has also faced more threats from malicious software via text messaging, apps and other tactics that hackers utilize. Apple and Google alert iOS and Android software users, respectively, to their security updates. The Federal Communications Commission and Federal Trade Commission plan to jointly look into how mobile phone vulnerabilities are addressed and what role is played by service providers such as Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile US ( TMUS ) and Sprint ( S ). “There have recently been a growing number of vulnerabilities associated with mobile operating systems that threaten the security and integrity of a user’s device, including ‘Stagefright’ in the Android operating system, which may affect almost 1 billion Android devices globally,” the FCC said in a statement . AT&T and Verizon shares both fell a fraction in the stock market today , while shares of Alphabet and Apple rose a fraction. The Federal Trade Commission said it has ordered eight mobile device manufacturers to provide the agency with information about how they issue security updates to address vulnerabilities in smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices. The eight companies are: Apple, Google, BlackBerry ( BBBY ), HTC America, LG Electronics, Microsoft ( MSFT ), Motorola Mobility and Samsung Electronics.

When Tim Cook Gives A TV Interview, Apple Investors Should Beware

Apple ( AAPL ) CEO Tim Cook doesn’t give many TV news interviews, but when he does his company’s stock tends to get a short-term bump but then decline three months later and stay down for a few months. In a research report Monday, Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi said Cook’s TV appearances tend to follow periods of investor concern or controversy. Cook has made seven major TV appearances since becoming CEO of Apple. And six of those seven appearances have occurred during the past two years of his four-and-a-half-year tenure. “When Tim Cook spoke with Jim Cramer on CNBC’s ‘Mad Money’ last week, many investors asked whether there was any historical pattern to his media appearances (i.e., does he only engage with the media when things are going poorly?), and whether the media appearances presaged stock performance in any way,” Sacconaghi said. So, Sacconaghi ran the numbers. “All seven appearances have followed a two-week period where the stock has underperformed (5 times) or performed in-line (2 times) with the market,” Sacconaghi said. “Cook’s television appearances have generally attempted to soothe prevailing investor concerns, and Apple’s stock has initially typically reacted neutrally or somewhat positively to the public appearances historically, as it did last week. “However, generally, the public appearance (and) associated commentary (have) not been a good leading indicator for the stock over longer periods.” One day after a Cook TV interview, Apple’s stock on average has risen 0.9%. A week later, Apple stock is up 0.3%. One month later, it’s up 1.3%. But three months later, it’s down 5.2%. Six months later, Apple stock is down 7.8% on average. Looking at Cook’s TV appearances just in the last two years, the longer-term declines are less dramatic. The day after Cook’s last six TV appearances, Apple stock has risen 0.8% on average. A week later, it’s up 0.6%. A month later, it’s up 2.6%. But Apple stock has averaged a 1.1% decline after three months and a 3.6% decline after six months, Sacconaghi said. A better indicator of Apple’s stock performance is tracking the company’s share repurchases. “Since 2012, when Apple has repurchased $14 billion or more of its stock in a given quarter, its stock has meaningfully outperformed over the next 1 to 2 quarters — in most other periods, the stock has underperformed,” Sacconaghi said. Sacconaghi reiterated his outperform rating on Apple stock with a price target of 135. Apple rose a fraction to 92.82 on the stock market today . On Friday, Apple shares hit their lowest level in nearly two years: 91.85 in intraday trading. Apple Stock Gets Price Target Cut From Baird Baird analyst William Power on Monday maintained his outperform rating on Apple stock, but trimmed his price target to 115 from 120. Power said he has grown “more cautious near to medium term” on Apple. Consensus estimates remain stubbornly too high for fiscal Q4 and the full year because of “inflated iPhone 7 expectations,” he said. Power kept his outperform rating on Apple stock because, he says, downside risk is minimal. Most of the bad news is already priced into shares, he said. On Sunday, RBC Capital Markets analyst Amit Daryanani said Apple stock is oversold and he sees a buying opportunity. He reiterated his outperform rating on Apple stock, with a price target of 120. RELATED: Apple Recruits SAP To Help Sell iPads, iPhones To Companies