Specialized Consumer Services

Every season, a series of mediocre B-listers and professional dancers pair off on Dancing with the Stars, shaking their can-can for judges and an American public that shows an appalling lack of insight into what constitutes talent. This season, football player Hines Ward took the crown away from...

Score one for H&R Block (NYSE: HRB), as Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc (OTCBB: JTHX.PK) filed for bankruptcy, as the company tries to restructure its debt. After Jackson Hewitt was unable to secure funding for its tax-refund loans, the company's fate was pretty much sealed, and Chapter 11 was...

The Department of Justice filed a civil antitrust lawsuit today to block the proposed acquisition by H&R Block (NYSE: HRB) Inc. of TaxACT, a digital do-it-yourself tax preparation software provider. The department said that the proposed deal would substantially lessen competition in the...

Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU) is scheduled to report fiscal third-quarter 2011 results after the market closes on Thursday, May 19. Analysts expect the company to announce that earnings came to $2.28 per share. That is up from the consensus estimate of $2.24 per share 90 days ago, as well as an increase...

(TheStreet) -- Steven Cohen's SAC Capital, known for its trading-oriented style to investing, made big bets in the first quarter while adding to key positions in Newmont Mining (NYSE: NEM) and communications company CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL). Cohen's Stamford, Conn.-based hedge fund firm, which...

Service Corporation International (NYSE: SCI) today announced that its Board of Directors has approved a quarterly cash dividend of five cents per share of common stock. The quarterly cash dividend announced today is payable on July 29, 2011 to shareholders of record at the close of business on...

Raymond James downgraded shares of GSI Commerce (GSIC), a provider of e-commerce and interactive marketing services to businesses, from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating. Goldman Sachs downgraded shares of Jones Apparel Group Inc. (JNY) from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating...

Cusick's Corner A few readers have asked me to explain the definition of an index. An index is a grouping of stocks used to track and represent a sector, segment of the market, or a broad market, such as the Standard & Poor's 500. The S&P500 (SPX) is one of the world's best known indexes...

Cusick's Corner Buyers are flexing their muscles into the Midday after what seemed to be a potentially shaky open with the Dollar firming and the S&P downgrade of Greece. While the commodity sector will need some more economic confidence building before Funds and Specs come back into those...

Weight Watchers International, Inc. (NYSE: WTW) shares have continued to gain throughout the day, and are now up more than 12% on twice the average daily volume. At last check, shares were up $8.62 to $80.07, a gain of 12.1% on 2.5 million shares. Weight Watchers International, Inc. provides...

Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group Inc. (NYSE:DTG) is trading at a price of $78.66 its shares added almost 13% after Hertz Global Holdings (NYSE:HTZ) raised its offer to buy the rival car-rental company. Hertz Global Holdings is trading at a price of $16.52. Currently, the company has a Market...

Forest Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: FRX) and Almirall, S.A. today announced that they are presenting additional data from ATTAIN, a pivotal Phase III study comparing the efficacy and safety of inhaled aclidinium bromide 200μg and 400μg twice daily (BID) versus placebo in patients with moderate to...

H&R Block (NYSE: HRB) Trading Lower Today, Down 8%

Matthews International Corporation (Nasdaq: MATW) today announced that the Company has signed a definitive agreement for the purchase of a majority ownership interest in Kroma Pre-Press Preparation Systems Industry & Trade, Inc.. The purchase price for Matthews to acquire an initial 70%...

It looks like, Oil prices could drop as low as $90 a barrel later this month as the global economy slows and unrest in the Middle East eventually fades. Crude oil for June delivery rose $2.91 to $100.09 a barrel. Gold for June delivery rose $14.80 to $1,506.50 an ounce, and silver for July...