TiVo (TIVO), in its latest effort to differentiate its DVRs from less-expensive generics, has landed a deal with Blockbuster (BBI) to rent and sell its movies and TV shows. Similar deals already allow TiVo’s subscribers to rent and buy titles from Netflix (NFLX) and Amazon.com (AMZN), download movies from Disney (DIS), ...

Companies that could issue positive surprises include Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX), SucessFactors (SFSF) and Sunoco (SUN). Penn Virginia Corporation (PVA) could potentially disappoint investors. The Week's Events November has historically been one of the best months for the major markets, according to the[More...]

On July 31, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (GT) reported 2007 second quarter results. In the quarter, excluding special items, net income from continuing operations was $0.31 per share, compared to $0.14 per share in the prior-year quarter. The company is benefiting from a major restructuring program along with lower raw material costs and improved selling prices. However, weak tire volumes compel us to rate the shares a Hold with a target of $20. Goodyear Tire's strength lies in its exposure to the strong heavy-truck market. This helps Goodyear better than its peers in hedging against earnings volatility in the tire industry. In addition, profit margins are expected to improve as both the Goodyear-brand tires and commercial tires are witnessing an improvement in sales across all markets, capitalizing[More...]

Recently, we had a conversation about the radio industry of the media sector with Zacks senior media analyst Ann Northrop, CFA, in which we try to get a handle on the dismal returns some companies have been generating as of late. Is there relief on the way? Radio stocks are taking a beating. What is happening in the industry? Yes, radio stocks continue to hit new lows. The sector has fallen roughly 26% this year and 60% from its highs in early 2004. The industry is in the midst of both a cyclical slowdown, pressured by a weak economy, and a secular downturn, which has slowed industry revenue growth to 1% annually over the last seven years. Satellite radio, MP3s, video games and streaming music from the Internet have all grabbed listeners from traditional terrestrial radio. Simultaneously, advertisers have gravitated towards other mediums, which have [More...]

Cephalon, Inc. (CEPH) is an international biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery development and marketing of products for the treatment of sleep disorder, neurological disorders, cancer and pain. These products are marketed in the U.S. and in [More...]