Thursday, January 31, 2013

Thursday’s movers: Facebook down but pares losses

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) � Shares of JDS Uniphase, JDSU Constellation Brands Inc. and Dow Chemical Co. made big moves during U.S. trading Thursday, while Facebook Inc. and Research In Motion Ltd. were among top trending tickers.

Top tickers trending Reuters Facebook�s spending plan is sparking worries Thursday as stock falls.

$FB: Facebook FB �shares clawed back from steep losses and briefly traded higher before retreating on concerns about the social-media company�s big spending plan for 2013. See: Facebook is mobile, but investors want more

Several analysts downgraded the stock, citing concerns over Facebook�s plan to go on a spending spree. See more on Facebook�s fourth-quarter results.

�We view Facebook as a core long-term �Net stock,� Citigroup analyst Neil Doshi said in a note in which he downgraded its rating to neutral from buy.

�But with plans to invest heavily in the biz in 2013, and little expected contribution from new initiatives like Gifts or Graph Search, we don�t see any near-term catalysts for the stock. And Mobile Ads appear to be cannibalizing Desktop, which further concerns us.� See: Facebook�s spending plan triggers downgrades

TECH
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Facebook tops forecasts, but here's what's worrying investors /conga/story/misc/teaser_facebook.html247706

@SkoalDaddy13: What exactly were people expecting from earnings, a miracle $ infusion from the sky?

$RIMM: Investors hoping that Research In Motion RIMM �CA:RIM �would stage a rebound in the wake of steep losses Wednesday were disappointed as U.S.-listed shares extending their decline. The BlackBerry 10, launched on Wednesday, was not the game-changer that the market has been hoping for and the dramatic move by the company to rename itself BlackBerry has not impressed many. See: BlackBerry has short window to prove itself

@lifeIZintrospec: funny move by $RIMM to change their ticker symbol. Investors will have a harder time selling if they cant find it

@asyurei3: People just figure it out now. That $Rimm brought a knife to a gun fight??!??

Gainers

AutoNation Inc. AN �shares rose 6.6% as the automotive retailer reported strong growth in new vehicle sales. The auto dealership chain said fourth-quarter earnings rose to $83.2 million, or 67 cents a share, from $69.4 million, or 49 cents, a year earlier. The company also plans a brand-unification program for its 210 domestic and import franchises. AutoNation profit up 20%

Citrix Systems Inc. CTXS �shares added 10% after the company�s earnings came in better than expected. The business software company said it earned 90 cents a share in the fourth quarter, excluding items. Analysts surveyed by FactSet had forecast Citrix to earn 84 cents a share.

Shares of JDS Uniphase JDSU �jumped 19%. The broadband-products maker swung to a profit in the second quarter, beating the Street�s consensus. See: JDSU swings to profit on communications revenue

Click to Play Facebook lifted by strong ad sales

Facebook reported better-than-expected profit for the fourth quarter with revenue boosted as a result of stronger mobile ad sales. But higher costs dragged down the social network's profit.

Mead Johnson Nutrition Co. MJN �shares gained 12% on the back of a strong rise in quarterly earnings. The maker of nutritional products such as Enfamil said its fourth-quarter earnings jumped to 66 cents a share from 42 cents in the year-earlier quarter. See: Mead Johnson�s profit jumps 57%

Pitney Bowes Inc. PBI �rallied 16% even as the mail-services company reported a fall in fourth-quarter but managed to report record annual revenue growth in its management-services unit.

Decliners

Constellation Brands Inc. STZ �shares sank 18%, at one point triggering Nasdaq�s circuit breaker. The stock�s plunge came after the company said it is not expected to finalize its deal to buy Grupo Modelo�s GPMCY �stake in Crown Imports LLC in the first quarter as had been expected. The comments came in the wake of a move by the Justice Department to block the proposed takeover of Grupo Modelo by Anheuser-Busch InBev NV BUD �on antitrust concerns. Crown Imports distributes Corona beer in the U.S. Meanwhile, U.S.-listed shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev fell 6%. U.S. sues to block Anheuser-Busch deal for Modelo

Dow Chemical Co. DOW �shares fell 5.1% after the company said it swung to a loss in the fourth quarter on nearly $1 billion in restructuring charges. Dow Chemical swings to quarterly loss

Fusion-io Inc. FIO �shares tumbled 15%. The data-storage provider reported on Wednesday that it swung to a second-quarter profit, but released downbeat revenue outlook. Sterne Agee analysts, in a note dated Jan. 30, cut their price target on Fusion-io to $27 from $29.

Harman International Industries Inc. HAR �shares declined 13%. The automobile-stereo-equipment maker earlier Thursday reported a second-quarter profit that shrank to 68 cents a share from 82 cents a share in the same period during fiscal 2012.

Time Warner Cable Inc. TWC �shares shed 10% on weaker earnings. The cable television provider said its fourth-quarter profit fell to $513 million, or $1.68 a share, from $564 million, or $1.75 a share, in the year-earlier quarter. See: Time Warner Cable profit down 9%

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