Household Products

Ireland-based advertising titan WPP Group Plc. (WPPGY), through its global healthcare communications unit, ghg, acquired a 100% stake in Geoff Howe Holdings Inc. The acquired company owns a 100% stake in a US-based agency engaged in marketing of animal health, diet and nutrition products, Geoff...

Jefferies updated its model after Church & Dwight (NYSE: CHD) hosted a conference call on August 5th. Church & Dwight manufactures household and personal care items, including brands such as Arm & Hammer, Trojan, Nair, and Oxiclean. Jefferies raised its 2010E EPS estimate to $3.98 from...

Unilever NV (UN) recently reported second-quarter 2010 results. Net income for the quarter spiked 40% to €1,062 million ($1,400.5 million) from the prior-year quarter. Earnings per share came in at €0.36 (47 cents per ADR) in the quarter, up 33% from the prior-year quarter but well below the Zacks...

Cusick’s Corner We were reminded today that this market is still sensitive to headline risk – there was a report that the Chinese government ordered its banks to stress test a 60% loss in property value, the market immediately pulled back. This was a short lived pullback that is resulting in...

Earnings Preview 7/30/10 Earnings season will be still going strong next week. There will be 1,161 firms reporting, including 106 S&P 500 firms. The firms reporting are some of the biggest and most important bellwethers of the economy, and slice across a wide spectrum of industries. Included in...

For Immediate Release Chicago, IL – August 04, 2010 – Zacks.com Analyst Blog features: J.P. Morgan (JPM), Macy (M), Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL), Ford (F) and Procter & Gamble Co. (PG ). Here are highlights from Tuesday’s Analyst Blog: Savings Rate Rising A large part of the decline in the...

For Immediate Release Chicago, IL – August 04, 2010 – Zacks.com Analyst Blog features: The Clorox Co. (CLX), AstraZeneca plc (AZN), Merck and Co. (MRK), Dean Foods Co. (DF) and Coach, Inc. (COH ). Here are highlights from Tuesday’s Analyst Blog: Clorox EPS Meets, Affirms Guidance Clorox EPS Meets...

After Monday’s strong start to the month, stocks lacked direction and closed mostly lower as deepening worries about the health of the economy kept investors from buying shares. The earnings based enthusiasm was nowhere to be seen Tuesday as big names such as Procter & Gamble and Dow Chemical...

Scott Nations said on CNBC's Fast Money that he is watching Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT). He is concerned about the selling pressure in the stocks that are involved in shampoo and detergent selling. These stocks were hurt by The Procter & Gamble Company's (NYSE: PG) disappointing results...

Cusick’s Corner The market did close the day in the red, another grinding session after an initial pop in the morning. The Japanese Yen currency has been on a tear and some market insiders who often confer with me, gave me some additional insight -- this move in the Yen is not a bullish signal for...

Cusick’s Corner The market continues to stay in a stubborn range and is currently in the negative at this stage of the Midday. I want to highlight a FRO trade that is in the Bullish section -- a strategist looks to have closed an August 35 call position and bought a January 40 call position, which...

Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) registered disappointing fourth quarter 2010 net earnings from continuing operations of 71 cents a share, which dipped 5% from 75 cents posted in the year-ago period. Earnings also missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 73 cents. However, P&G’s net earnings from...

The Clorox Co. (CLX) posted marginal 0.6% growth in fiscal 2010 fourth-quarter earnings to $171 million from $170 million in the year-ago period. Earnings per share came in at $1.20, matching the Zacks Consensus Estimate, but lagged the year-ago earnings of $1.25 per share. Clorox’s net sales...

Futures traded slightly lower early Tuesday as investors worked through disappointing results from Procter & Gamble that offset strong results from pharmaceutical company Pfizer. As of 8:25 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were down 11 points, to 10606, the S&P 500 index...