For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – January 24, 2012 – Zacks.com announces the list of
stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity
Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting
stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the
blog include Interactive Brokers Group,
Inc. ( IBKR), Halliburton (
HAL), Apache Corp ( APA), Texas
Instruments ( TXN) and CSX Corp (
CSX).
Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the
free Profit from the Pros newsletter:
http://at.zacks.com/?id=5513
Here are highlights from Monday’s Analyst
Blog:
Interactive Brokers Beats Again
Interactive Brokers Group, Inc.’s ( IBKR)
fourth quarter 2011 earnings per share came in at 30 cents,
substantially ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 23 cents.
This also compared favorably with a loss of 67 cents in the
year-ago quarter. During third quarter, the company earned twice
the Zacks Consensus Estimate.
Including the effect of changes in the U.S. dollar value of
Interactive’s non-U.S. subsidiaries, the company reported earnings
of 27 cents compared with a loss of 56 cents in the year-ago
quarter. This reflects the new GAAP convention that requires the
posting of currency translation results contained in Other
Comprehensive Income as part of reportable earnings.
Results benefited mainly from a substantial improvement in
revenues, partially offset by higher interest and non-interest
expenses. Net income attributable to non-controlling interests was
also substantially higher during the reported quarter. The
company’s Electronic Brokerage and Market Making segments continued
to perform well with an impressive pre-tax income.
For the full year 2011, earnings were $1.40 per share, well
above the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.05. This also compared
favorably with a loss of 22 cents in the year-ago
quarter.
Slow Start to Busy Week
The market appears to be least concerned about Greece’s
inability to reach a restructuring deal with its private creditors.
The Greek government assured that it did not see its talks
collapsing. This, coupled with a successful German bond auction
today, should help stocks sustain the positive momentum of the last
couple of weeks. We have a relatively quiet day today on the
economic and earnings fronts, but the rest of this week brings a
host of material reports.
On the economic front this week, we have the Fed meeting and the
fourth quarter 2011 GDP report on deck. The Fed is not expected to
change its near-zero interest rate policy, but this first meeting
of 2012 will usher in a new phase of transparency for the Central
Bank. In addition to the customary Fed statement after the meeting
and the quarterly Bernanke news conference, this time will bring
Fed Funds rate forecasts by the individual Fed districts through
2015.
We will also get when the individual Fed districts see the FOMC
starting to raise interest rates again. This is a significant
development as it likely will show that the central bank districts
expect near-zero interests for longer than the current FOMC policy
of through 2013 only.
It will be interesting to see how treasury yields will respond
to this expected disclosure. Will this result in greater flattening
of the yield curve, particularly given growing expectations of
another round of quantitative easing despite the recent favorable
run of economic reports?
The Fed aside, this week also brings the first read on the
fourth quarter GDP numbers, with the expectation for the growth
rate to be in the 3% range. Short of a significant higher or lower
number relative to that expectation, the market will likely not
take much note of the release.
Inventory building will be a positive contributor to growth this
time around after shaving off more than a percentage point in the
third quarter, while personal consumption expenditures likely
accelerated from the previous quarter’s 1.7% pace. It will be
interesting to see how businesses spent their money in the quarter
as all indicators are pointing to a deceleration on that front. The
fourth quarter increase notwithstanding, the consensus expectation
is for growth to moderate in the first quarter of 2012 to the
2% level.
In other economic news, we will get the December Durable Goods
and New Home Sales numbers on Thursday. We will also get the weekly
Jobless Claims data this Thursday, which experienced a sharp drop
last week, reversing the preceding week’s rise. Notwithstanding the
complications with seasonal adjustments at this time of the year
that most likely lay behind the sharp volatility in this series
over the last two weeks, there is no denying the favorable momentum
on the labor market front.
Not to forget that we are in the midst of the fourth quarter
reporting season. With less than a fifth of the reports already in,
the growth numbers are a lot weaker than we have become accustomed
to in recent quarters. But there is little surprise in that as
expectations had already come down ahead of the reporting season.
In fact, the earnings reports thus far, particularly in the
financial sector which forms the bulk of the early reports have
been better than expected.
In today’s relatively quite earnings releases, we got roughly
in-line earnings from Halliburton ( HAL) on strong
top-line gains. In other news, Apache Corp ( APA),
a major oil and natural gas E&P player, is buying privately
held Cordillera Energy for $2.85 billion. The deal gives Apache
acreage position in the Granite Wash region that straddles the
Texas-Oklahoma border. Texas
Instruments ( TXN) and CSX Corp (
CSX) report after the close today.
Want more from Zacks Equity Research? Subscribe to the free
Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5515.
About Zacks Equity Research
Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and
qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and
which to sell for the long-term.
Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly
traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives
them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and
stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month
time horizons.
Zacks "Profit from the Pros" e-mail newsletter provides
highlights of the latest analysis from Zacks Equity Research.
Subscribe to this free newsletter today:
http://at.zacks.com/?id=5517
About Zacks
Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc.,
which was formed in 1978 by Leon Zacks. As a PhD from MIT Len knew
he could find patterns in stock market data that would lead to
superior investment results. Amongst his many accomplishments was
the formation of his proprietary stock picking system; the Zacks
Rank, which continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1
margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations
and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our
free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's
your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your
time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros
at http://at.zacks.com/?id=5518.
Visit http://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the
performance numbers displayed in this press release.
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/zacksresearch
Join us on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Zacks-Investment-Research/57553657748?ref=ts
Disclaimer: Past performance does not guarantee future results.
Investors should always research companies and securities before
making any investments. Nothing herein should be construed as an
offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security.
Media Contact
Zacks Investment Research
800-767-3771 ext. 9339
support@zacks.com
http://www.zacks.com
APACHE CORP (APA): Free Stock Analysis Report
CSX CORP (CSX): Free Stock Analysis Report
HALLIBURTON CO (HAL): Free Stock Analysis Report
INTERACTIVE BRK (IBKR): Free Stock Analysis Report
TEXAS INSTRS (TXN): Free Stock Analysis Report
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Texas Instruments (NASDAQ:TXN)
Historical Stock Chart
From Aug 2024 to Sep 2024
Texas Instruments (NASDAQ:TXN)
Historical Stock Chart
From Sep 2023 to Sep 2024