Tag Archives: technology

QQQ: Profit From Apple Inc.’s Failure (AAPL)

InvestorPlaceInvestorPlace Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Tech lovers beware. The generals are being taken out and shot one by one. And the Nasdaq is suffering under the onslaught. First it was Netflix, Inc. ( NFLX ),

Amazon Earnings Top 5 Things You Need To Know For Thursday

On slate for Thursday are quarterly earnings reports from Amazon ( AMZN ), LinkedIn ( LNKD ), Baidu ( BIDU ) and Gilead Sciences ( GILD ) after the close. Before the market open, investors will get their first look at first-quarter economic growth. Amazon The e-commerce giant is expected to earn 58 cents a share in Q1, swinging to a profit from a 12-cent loss last year. Revenue is projected to climb 23% to $27.99 billion. Last quarter, Amazon fell well short of earnings estimates and came up light on revenue, sending shares down as much as 32% from their high in the following weeks. But its cloud computing division, Amazon Web Services, is a bright spot. It hauled in $2.4 billion in revenue for the quarter, up 69% year over year. Shares are flirting with being within the lower boundary of a buy range from a cup-with-handle base with a 603.34 buy point, which it initially broke out of a few weeks ago. Amazon fell 1.7% to 606.57 after falling to 601.28 intraday. LinkedIn The professional social network’s earnings are projected to grow 5% to 60 cents ex items, a sharp drop from the 54% growth that it saw in the prior quarter. Revenue is expected to jump 30% to $828.5 million. Shares dropped 44% on LinkedIn’s last quarterly report, which showed weak Q1 guidance. LinkedIn stock has climbed off of its low, reached in the following days, and is now trading 54% below its 52-week high. Facebook Social networking leader Facebook ( FB ) crushed Q1 earnings and revenue projections late Wednesday, sending shares up 9% in late trade. If Facebook’s positive action continues into Thursday’s session, the stock will likely be in buy range from a cup-with-handle base with a 117.09 buy point. Baidu China Internet giant Baidu is projected to see Q1 EPS ex items fall 11% to 5.96 RMB (92 cents). Revenue is estimated to rise 24% to 15.83 billion RMB ($2.4 billion). Baidu’s mobile ecosystem is strong, according to ITG Research analyst Henry Guo. He said this week that his firm’s data indicates “that Baidu’s Mobile Search app dominates the mobile search market with more than 23% installation penetration among Chinese mobile users, well ahead of its key competitors Sogou Search (1.7%) and Qihoo 360 Technology ( QIHU ) Search (0.2%).” Baidu is trading just below buy range from a cup-with-handle base that it broke out of recently. It’s trading 13% below its 52-week high. Gilead Sciences The biotech’s earnings are estimated to rise 6% to $3.13 a share, slower than last quarter’s 37% growth. Revenue is seen rising 7% to $8.1 billion, also a deceleration from the prior quarter. Comparisons are getting tougher after Gilead earnings and sales skyrocketed on hepatitis C treatments. Gilead retook its 200-day line last week but breached that level in Wednesday’s session. Shares are trading 18% below their 52-week high. Fellow big-cap biotech Amgen ( AMGN ) also reports quarterly results Thursday, with analysts expected a 5% EPS gain. Amgen, which fell 1.1% to 161 on Thursday is near a buy point at 165.33 in cup-shaped base. Before the market open, biotechs Alexion Pharmaceuticals ( ALXN ) and Celgene ( CELG ) report, along with big pharma Bristol-Myers Squibb ( BMY ) and AbbVie ( ABBV ) makes a rival hepatitis C treatment. Q1 GDP After Q4’s OK but not great 1.4% gain, coupled with ongoing issues regarding a strong dollar, weak energy sector and sluggish manufacturing, weak growth is expected in Q1. Wall Street expects a scant 0.7% annualized gain.

First Solar Stock Tanks On $100 Mil Sales Miss; CFO Takes Reins

First Solar ( FSLR ) stock was torched late Wednesday when the No. 1 installer reported Q1 sales that missed Wall Street’s mark by more than $100 million and announced that CFO Mark Widmar would succeed CEO James Hughes. In after-hours trading, First Solar stock was down 4.5% after closing up 1.3% in the regular session. Shares are down 6% since January, outperforming No. 2 rival SunPower ( SPWR ) stock, which is down 27% over the past four months. For Q1, First Solar reported $848 million in sales, up 3% year over year, and $1.66 earnings per share, swinging from a 62-cent per-share loss in the year-earlier period. Sales fell $94 million sequentially and missed analyst views for $106% year-over-year growth. But EPS topped expectations for 93 cents. First Solar blamed the timing of systems-revenue recognition for the sequential drop in sales, but noted the plunge was partially offset by higher revenue from the Desert Stateline project. The company bumped up the low end of its full-year EPS guidance to $4.10-$4.50 from earlier expectations for $4-$4.50. EPS would be down 20% at the midpoint of guidance, potentially signaling a trough , according to Deutsche Bank analyst Vishal Shah. Full-year sales guidance for $3.8 billion to $4 billion was unchanged and would be up 9% at the midpoint. Chairman Michael Ahearn praised Hughes for his four years of leadership. His exit had not been expected. “Leadership succession planning has been a joint effort between Jim and the board of directors,” First Solar spokesman Steve Krum told IBD via email. “All parties are supportive of this change, which was part of an existing plan. The board and Jim believe that Mark’s proven leadership and expertise make him an ideal choice for leading the company into its next phase of growth.” Hughes will officially step down June 30, but will remain on the board and continue in an advisory role. “Under Jim’s astute guidance, First Solar achieved the strongest technology position in our history, with record bookings of new business and unparalleled financial strength in the industry,” Ahearn said in a statement.