News about <![CDATA[BIG]]> News about en-us <![CDATA[Weekly Preview: FOMC Minutes in Focus, Earnings Season Wanes]]> In the upcoming week, market focus shifts back to the Fed as the FOMC minutes of the latest meeting are released. Also, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke is set to speak as earnings season slows down, although there are still some key earnings set to be released.

Key Earnings This week, the earnings

]]> <![CDATA[Summary of Jana Partners 13F: Aetna, Expedia and Kinder Morgan All Raised Among Others]]> Barry Rosenstein's JANA Partners released its 13F for Q1 Wednesday. Value of fund increased from $3.5 billion to $4.8 billion.

(All units are in millions of shares)

Raised:

• Aetna (NYSE: AET) from 2.6 to 3.8

• Agrium (NYSE: AGU) from 9.4 to 11.2

• Big Lots (NYSE: BIG)

]]> <![CDATA[UPDATE: Big Lots Announces David Campisi As Chief Executive Officer, Succeeding Retiring Steve Fishman]]> Big Lots (NYSE: BIG) today announced senior retail industry executive David Campisi, 57, has been named Chief Executive Officer and President of Big Lots, Inc., effective May 6, 2013. Mr. Campisi succeeds Steve Fishman, who announced in December 2012 his intention to retire upon the appointment of his

]]> <![CDATA[Costco Earnings Preview: EPS and Revenue Growth Expected]]> Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST), which saw strong same-store sales in February where other big retailers did not, is scheduled to report its second-quarter fiscal 2013 results Tuesday, March 12, before the markets open.

Investors will be looking to see how the company has held up, with consumers facing higher

]]> <![CDATA[24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — March 7, 2013: Markets Open Higher, Chop to Higher Close (SAP, CLH, ANGI, SD, BIG, ALJ, PETM, MTN, CIEN, DANG, JRCC, KR, SFD, FNSR, HRB, P, WDAY, ANN, FL, AMD, PBR, FB)]]> DailyFinance.com: U.S. equity markets opened higher this morning and trickled lower most of the day as there was little news to follow generally good data from around the globe. In Japan, the central bank held interest rates and asset purchases at previous levels. In ... Read more]]> <![CDATA[Big Lots Tops Ests, Rises Y/Y – Analyst Blog]]> <![CDATA[Company News for March 07, 2013 – Corporate Summary]]> <![CDATA[Five Key Analyst Calls to Watch]]> DailyFinance.com: 24/7 Wall St. is tracking several key analyst calls this morning. Big Lots Inc. (NYSE: BIG) has seen mixed calls this morning. The discount retailer was raised to Hold from Sell at Deutsche Bank, cut to Hold at Canaccord Genuity and cut to ... Read more]]> <![CDATA[Big Lots Climbs on Q4 Results]]> Retailer Big Lots (NYSE: BIG) released its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings results on Wednesday prior to the opening bell. The company reported earnings that were above Wall Street expectations and sales which were in line with consensus estimates. For first-quarter, however, Big Lots offered guidance which was below current

]]> <![CDATA[24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — March 6, 2013: Markets Open Higher, Closed Mixed (JCP, ICE, BBY, QCOM, VVUS, GEVO, QIHU, SWHU, PAY, AEO, BIG, TFM, HOV, SPLS, STP, PETS, MTN, CIEN, DANG, JRCC, KR, SFD, MT]]> DailyFinance.com: U.S. equity markets opened higher this morning but struggled to maintain even a flat performance compared to yesterday's close. Before the markets opened this morning, the Mortgage Bankers Association noted a 14.8% rise in applications (more coverage ... Read more]]> <![CDATA[UPDATE: Canaccord Genuity Downgrades Big Lots to Hold; Underlying Fundamentals Weak]]> Canaccord Genuity downgraded Big Lots (NYSE: BIG) from Buy to Hold and raised the price target from $38.00 to $39.00.

Canaccord Genuity commented, "The company has not improved its product assortment at the rate we had anticipated, resulting in continued SSS declines and gross margin contraction. This resulted

]]> <![CDATA[Stocks to Watch: Staples, PetSmart, Big Lots]]> <![CDATA[Earnings Scheduled For March 6, 2013]]> American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE: AEO) is estimated to report its Q4 earnings at $0.56 per share on revenue of $1.12 billion.

Big Lots (NYSE: BIG) is projected to report its Q4 earnings at $1.98 per share on revenue of $1.75 billion.

The Fresh Market (NASDAQ: TFM)

]]> <![CDATA[Results Good at Big Lots; Forecast Not So Good]]> DailyFinance.com: Big Lots Inc. (NYSE: BIG) reported fourth-quarter and full-year 2012 results before markets opened this morning. The close-out retailer reported quarterly diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $2.08 on revenues of $1.7 billion. In the same period a ... Read more]]> <![CDATA[(KR) Looking Toward Employment Numbers – Earnings Preview]]>
Visit StockBlogHub to view complete post.]]> <![CDATA[24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — March 5, 2013: Markets Climb as Dow Sets All-Time High (NFLX, YHOO, CLF, A, APOL, CKP, CEP, APP, GEVO, QIHU, SWHU, PAY, AEO, BIG, TFM, HOV, SPLS, STP, MTG, CREE, VOD, VZ)]]> DailyFinance.com: U.S. equity markets opened higher this morning and it didn't take long for the DJIA to blow past its all-time intra-day high of 14,198.10 (more coverage here). There was a little news and data to give the markets a push as well. In Asia, China's ... Read more]]> <![CDATA[Retail Sales on Track for Lower Growth]]> DailyFinance.com: After three consecutive years of 4%+ same-store sales growth in the month of February, the outlook for the month in 2013 calls for growth of 2.7%, primarily on a forecast of weaker sales at apparel and teen specialty retail stores. According to ... Read more]]> <![CDATA[Earnings Expectations for the Week of March 4]]> Now that Congress and the White House have failed to reach a deal to avoid the federal budget sequester, and with the jobs report coming out on Friday, the attention this week is likely to be elsewhere, rather than on earnings, which have slowed to dribble.

A few lingering retail earnings

]]> <![CDATA[The Week Ahead: Countdown to the Jobs Report]]> Despite dropping sharply last Monday, markets have managed to shake off economic uncertainty and ended the month of Feburary trading near all-time highs. The first full-week of March will present its own challenges, including a key jobs report Friday.

Earnings reports

At this point, earnings releases have slowed to a crawl.

]]> <![CDATA[Hot Option Plays: Interesting VIX Activity After Hours]]> <![CDATA[First Solar Rumor Boosts 2 ETFs]]> Rumors that First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR), the largest U.S. solar firm, is once again a takeover target have been predictably good for that stock as the shares are up 5.8 percent on above average turnover in midday trading.

The two solar ETFs where First Solar makes a home are

]]> <![CDATA[Strong Bullish Stocks to Watch next week]]> <![CDATA[Strong Bullish Stocks To Watch Next Week]]> <![CDATA[Kohl’s Downgraded to Underperform – Analyst Blog]]> <![CDATA[Gordmans Guides Lower for FY12 – Analyst Blog]]> <![CDATA[Family Dollar Downgraded to Underperform – Analyst Blog]]> <![CDATA[Family Dollar Downgraded to Strong Sell – Analyst Blog]]> <![CDATA[Benzinga's M&A Chatter for Thursday January 17, 2013]]> The following are the M&A deals, rumors and chatter circulating on Wall Street for Thursday January 17, 2013:

E.Land World to Acquire K-Swiss for $4.75/Share in Cash

The Deal:K-Swiss (NASDAQ: KSWS) and E.Land World announced Wednesday entry into a definitive agreement pursuant to which E.Land World will acquire all of

]]> <![CDATA[Hot Option Plays: Taking A Bite Out Of Apple Midday]]> <![CDATA[Big Lots Upgraded to Neutral – Analyst Blog]]> <![CDATA[UPDATE: Citigroup Initiates Big Lots at Buy on Potential Inflection Point]]> Citigroup initiated coverage on Big Lots (NYSE: BIG) with a Buy rating and a $36 price target.

Citigroup said, "While BIG is on pace to post its first annual comp decline in 14 years in 2012, we expect the company to pick itself up in 2013 and return

]]> <![CDATA[Benzinga's Top Initiations]]> Analysts at FBR Capital initiated coverage on shares of F5 Networks (NASDAQ: FFIV) with an “outperform” rating. F5 Networks' shares closed at $97.33 yesterday. F5 Networks' trailing-twelve-month operating margin is 30.95%.

Deutsche Bank initiated coverage on shares of Two Harbors Investment (NYSE: TWO) with a “buy” rating.

]]> <![CDATA[Big Lots Tanks as FBI, SEC Investigate Insider Share Sale]]> Discount retailer Big Lots (NYSE: BIG) has been sold off sharply following news that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have launched independent inquiries into a $10 million sale of shares by CEO Steven Fishman in March. Fishman announced that he

]]> <![CDATA[Mid-Afternoon Market Update: Groupon Continues Rally, Gun Stocks Remain Down]]> Toward the end of trading Friday, the Dow traded up 0.55 percent to 13,146.50 while the NASDAQ fell 0.32 percent to 2,979.70. The S&P also rose, increasing 0.28 percent to 1,417.31.

Top Headline The national unemployment rate was reported today, coming in at 7.7 percent, below the expected report and prior release

]]> <![CDATA[Company News for December 5, 2012 – Corporate Summary]]> <![CDATA[Mid-Day Market Update: Markets Flat Following Obama Interview]]> Midway through trading Tuesday, the Dow traded up 0.08 percent to 12,976.39 while the NASDAQ fell 0.18 percent to 2,996.70. The S&P also fell, decreasing 0.05 percent to 1,408.77.

Top Headline In his first interview since his re-election, President Obama will give an interview on Bloomberg television today at 12:30 PM. The

]]> <![CDATA[Big Lots Slips to Loss in 3Q – Analyst Blog]]> <![CDATA[Mid-Morning Market Update: Markets Mixed Ahead of Obama Interview]]> Following the market opening Tuesday, the Dow traded up 0.13 percent to 12,982.23 while the NASDAQ fell 0.46 percent to 2,988.35. The S&P also fell, decreasing 0.14 percent to 1,407.47.

Top Headline In his first interview since his re-election, President Obama will give an interview on Bloomberg television today at 12:30 PM.

]]> <![CDATA[U.S. stock indexes mixed on fiscal-cliff view]]> <![CDATA[Dancing on the Fiscal Cliff – Analyst Blog]]> <![CDATA[Ahead of Wall Street – December 4, 2012 – Ahead of Wall Street]]> <![CDATA[Benzinga's Top Pre-Market Gainers]]> Big Lots (NYSE: BIG) surged 8.77% to $30.50 in the pre-market session. Big Lots posted a loss in the fiscal third-quarter and lifted its earnings forecast for the full year.

Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) moved up 7.68% to $76.10 in the pre-market session. Netflix's trailing-twelve-month revenue is

]]> <![CDATA[Tuesday’s biggest gaining and declining stocks]]> <![CDATA[A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts]]> Pre-open movers US stock futures are slightly higher this morning. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 11 points to 12,961.00 and S&P 500 index futures rose 0.90 points to 1,408.00. Nasdaq 100 futures gained 3.50 points to 2,673.50.

A Peek Into Global Markets European markets were higher today. The STOXX

]]> <![CDATA[Benzinga Market Primer, Tuesday, December 4]]> Futures Flat Following Wall Street Sell Off

U.S. equity futures were flat in pre-market trading Tuesday following Monday's late day sell off. Stocks teetered around flat for most of the day Monday but sold off into the close on fears that a Fiscal Cliff deal is still a long ways away.

]]> <![CDATA[Big earnings on Tuesday: AutoZone, Toll, Pandora]]> <![CDATA[Earnings Scheduled For December 4, 2012]]> AutoZone (NYSE: AZO) is estimated to report its Q1 earnings at $5.39 per share on revenue of $2.02 billion.

Big Lots (NYSE: BIG) is projected to post a Q3 loss at $0.24 per share on revenue of $1.14 billion.

Toll Brothers (NYSE: TOL) is estimated to

]]> <![CDATA[Stocks To Watch For December 4, 2012]]> Some of the stocks that may grab investor focus today are:

Wall Street expects Big Lots (NYSE: BIG) to post a Q3 loss at $0.24 per share on revenue of $1.14 billion. Big Lots shares declined 1.57% to $27.60 in after-hours trading.

Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) announced its plans

]]> <![CDATA[Agree Buys Two Premium Assets – Analyst Blog]]> <![CDATA[Earnings Expectations for the Week of December 3]]> The earnings season continues to wind down. The only S&P 500 components scheduled to share quarterly results this week are AutoZone (NYSE: AZO), Big Lots (NYSE: BIG), Brown-Forman (NYSE: BFB-B), H&R Block (NYSE: HRB) and SAIC (NYSE: SAI). Here is a quick

]]>