Shares of Kroger (NYSE: KR) rose a smart +4% today as the nation’s largest standalone grocer beat profit estimates by 8% for the quarter ended May 22. Yet once you dig deeper into the numbers and get a sense of industry trends, it becomes apparent that shares could move sharply lower in the weeks and months ahead. It’s easy to look good when little is expected. Analysts were so bearish about the grocer’s rising cost picture that they lowered their profit forecasts well below… Read More

Shares of Kroger (NYSE: KR) rose a smart +4% today as the nation’s largest standalone grocer beat profit estimates by 8% for the quarter ended May 22. Yet once you dig deeper into the numbers and get a sense of industry trends, it becomes apparent that shares could move sharply lower in the weeks and months ahead. It’s easy to look good when little is expected. Analysts were so bearish about the grocer’s rising cost picture that they lowered their profit forecasts well below management guidance. So earnings were seemingly robust, but really only not as bad as feared. More important, earnings were more than 10% below year-ago results due to a sharp drop in gross margins. And gross margins are the real story here.  If you’ve shopped for groceries at a Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) store in the last year, you’ve probably noticed that produce was the one category that seemed unusually pricey. Yet as we noted earlier this week , Wal-Mart is rolling back prices thanks to a renewed emphasis on securing locally grown… Read More

For many years, investors had to sit and wait for profits as cable and satellite companies re-invested every spare penny into building their business. That wait is now over, most notably for investors in DirecTV (NYSE: DTV). The satellite TV provider is now throwing off large amounts of… Read More

If you read about the markets — whether from papers like The Wall Street Journal, publishers like StreetAuthority, or even blogs like 247WallSt.com — I think you’ll start to notice how much press is devoted to China. It’s for good reason. China, especially… Read More

More than a century ago, governments in the United States and Europe decided to pave over dirt roads. They knew that many citizens would soon be driving automobiles and would soon sour on bumpy, rutted dirt paths. Now, a similar move is afoot. A wide range of incentives are being enacted to enable a smooth transition to the age of the electric car. Luckily for patient investors, the companies that stand to benefit from the coming e-car revolution have already fallen out of favor, and their share prices stand near all-time lows. Putting the Pieces in Place… Read More

More than a century ago, governments in the United States and Europe decided to pave over dirt roads. They knew that many citizens would soon be driving automobiles and would soon sour on bumpy, rutted dirt paths. Now, a similar move is afoot. A wide range of incentives are being enacted to enable a smooth transition to the age of the electric car. Luckily for patient investors, the companies that stand to benefit from the coming e-car revolution have already fallen out of favor, and their share prices stand near all-time lows. Putting the Pieces in Place A number of auto makers have announced plans to sell electric and hybrid cars and trucks that utilize lithium-ion batteries. Toyota’s (NYSE: TM) popular Prius uses older heavier battery packs, but many of the planned cars will have driving ranges of less than 100 miles. So consumers will need access to frequent and convenient recharging stations. The U.S. House and the Senate have released separate bills that would provide millions of dollars to a handful of select cities that install a network of charging stations. The regions chosen will likely be the first ones to see robust… Read More

Among the biggest losers in Thursday’s early trading are Actuant (NYSE: ATU), Gammon Gold (NYSE: GRS) and DryShips (Nasdaq: DRYS). Top Percentage Losers –Thursday, June 17, 2010 Company Name (Ticker) Intra-Day Price Intra-Day % Loss 52-Week High 52-Week Low Gammon Gold… Read More

Among the biggest winners in Thursday’s early trading are Neurocrine Biosciences, (Nasdaq: NBIX), Pier One (NYSE: PIR) and Winnebago (NYSE: WGO). Top Percentage Gainers — Thursday, June 17, 2010 Company Name (Ticker) Intra-Day Price Intra-Day % Gain 52-Week High 52-Week Low Winnebago (NYSE:… Read More

Those prescient words, uttered by Chauncey the Gardener in the film Being There, is an annual rite of passage for tech stocks, which tend to rally each spring. Not this time. Instead of growth, the group has fallen sharply, thanks to a high degree of exposure to Europe and the… Read More

Over the past few days, you’ve likely seen a number of my articles discussing just how important “game-changing” stocks are to your portfolio. (Feel free to visit my archive to read anything you missed). In fact, we put together an entire webcast discussing four of my favorite… Read More

Among the biggest winners in Wednesday’s early trading are Neurocrine Biosciences (Nasdaq: NBIX), Sunoco (NYSE: SUN) and Ener1 (NYSE: HEV). Top Percentage Gainers — Wednesday, June 16, 2010 Company Name (Ticker) Intra-Day Price Intra-Day % Gain 52-Week High 52-Week Low Neurocrine Biosciences (Nasdaq: NBIX) $5.37 +14.7% $5.60 $1.94… Read More

Among the biggest losers in Tuesday’s early trading are Nokia (NYSE: NOK), Genoptix (Nasdaq: GXDX) and Freddie Mac (NYSE: FRE). Top Percentage Losers — Wednesday, June 16, 2010 Company Name (Ticker) Intra-Day Price Intra-Day % Loss 52-Week High 52-Week Low… Read More