Specialty Chemicals

Crescent Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: CRFN) jumped 89.40% to $4.11 at 9:55 am. Piedmont Community Bank Holdings announced its plans to invest $75 million in CRFN. Royale Energy Inc (NASDAQ: ROYL) shares advanced 37.96% to $4.93. ROYL received regulatory approval to initiate production on the...

KMG Chemicals, Inc. (NASDAQ: KMGB) today announced a 25% increase to its cash dividend, preliminary earnings expectations for the second quarter ended January 31, 2011, and the scheduling of its second quarter news release and conference call.

TOR Minerals International (Nasdaq: TORM), producer of synthetic titanium dioxide and color pigments, specialty aluminas, and other high performance mineral fillers, today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2010. Highlights for the fourth quarter and...

The U.S. chemical industry consists of 170 major companies with several of them having international operations. The products manufactured by these companies span a wide range … from chemicals used in household products like soaps and detergents to agrichemicals and specialty chemicals used in...

The Valspar Corporation (NYSE: VAL) announced today that it has acquired Isocoat Tintas e Vernizes Ltda., located in Araçariguama, state of São Paulo, Brazil. Isocoat manufactures powder coatings used in appliance, building products, transportation and other general industrial markets and serves...

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) (BRK-B), the company run by billionaire Warren Buffett, has decided to to eliminate a couple of high profile names from its portfolio, including Nike (NKE), Bank of America (BAC), and Comcast (CMCSK). Buffett also got rid of Lowes (LOW), Becton Dickinson, (BDX), Nalco...

J.P Morgan says it is unlikely, that one could, arrive at a purchase decision in favor of Ecolab (NYSE: ECL) shares, if one judged the company simply by its reported 4Q:10 income statement numbers. The income statement, at first sight, indicates that sales growth stalled, that pro forma earnings...

The Valspar Corporation (NYSE: VAL) Board of Directors announced today that Gary E. Hendrickson, currently Valspar's president and chief operating officer, will succeed William L. Mansfield as chief executive officer, effective June 1, 2011. Mansfield, who has served as CEO since 2005, will...

J.P. Morgan raised its Rockwood Holdings (NYSE: ROC) price target from $38 to $47 in a research report published today. In the report, J.P. Morgan states, "ROC shares have risen 20% since the beginning of the year from $39 to $47 versus a 6% lift for the market, and 10% for DD, the largest supplier...

JP Morgan has raised the price target on Rockwood Holdings (NYSE: ROC) from $38 to $47 and maintains its Neutral rating.

Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc (NYSE: DPS) is expected to post its Q4 EPS at $0.64 on revenue of $1.40 billion. Intuit Inc (NASDAQ: INTU) is estimated to post its FQ2 earnings at $0.31 per share on revenue of $886.13 million. PG&E (NYSE: PCG) is projected to report its Q4 earnings at $0.73 per...

The Board of Directors of Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB) today increased the regular quarterly dividend to $0.165 per share from $0.14. The dividend is payable April 1, 2011 to shareholders of record at the close of business as of March 15, 2011. The new annualized dividend rate is $0.66 per...

Rockwood Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: ROC) today reported earnings per share of $1.40 for the fourth quarter of 2010 as compared to $0.14 for the same period in the prior year. Rockwood's as adjusted earnings per share increased to $0.49 in the fourth quarter of 2010 from $0.19 for the same period in the...

Citigroup, which has raised its PT on shares of The Valspar Corp. (NYSE: VAL), is providing some color on the company. “VAL's performance in 1Q was generally in-line with expectations as 10% organic revenue growth offset some of the margin compression resulting from mid-teens Y/Y raw material cost...

J.P. Morgan raised its Valspar (NYSE: VAL) price target to $38 from $33 in a research report published today. In the report, J.P. Morgan states, "Valspar's F1Q:11 pro forma EPS improved 8% from $0.36 to $0.39, and GAAP EPS was flat at 0.34. Pro forma profits were penalized by higher raw material...