Ford, GM, Chrysler Auto Sales Jump; Eli Lilly Lowered Outlook

Mukesh Buch
05 Jan, 2016
New York City

Activision acquired the e-sports publisher Major League Gaming. Eli Lilly lowered earnings per share forecast. Ford December sales soared 8.4%, Fiat Chrysler sales surged 12.6% and GM sales jumped 5.7%. Intel agreed to buy Germany-based Ascending Technologies.

[R]4:00 PM New York – Activision acquired the e-sports publisher Major League Gaming. Eli Lilly lowered earnings per share forecast. Ford December sales soared 8.4%, Fiat Chrysler sales surged 12.6% and GM sales jumped 5.7%. Intel agreed to buy Germany-based Ascending Technologies.[/R]

Tollbooth Index increased 33.03 or 0.3% to 10,615.70.

Earnings Review

Activision Blizzard, Inc ((ATVI)) rose 3 cents to $37.63 after the online games developer acquired videogame publisher Major League Gaming for $46 million in cash.

Commercial Metals Company ((CMC)) dropped 2.3% or 28 cents to $13.32 after the steel and metal recycler said revenues in the first-quarter ending in November declined 29.4% from a year ago to $1.2 billion.

Net income in the quarter plunged 22% to $25.1 million or 21 cents per diluted share compared to $32.2 million or 27 cents per share from the same quarter last year.

Eli Lilly and Co ((LLY)) gained 2.3% or $1.87 to $84.74 despite the drug-maker lowered its earnings per share forecast for the fiscal 2015 in the range of $2.28 to $2.33 from the previous guidance of $2.40 to $2.45.

For the fiscal 2016, the company estimated earnings per share between $2.92 to $3.02 and revenues in the range of $20.2 billion to $20.7 billion.

Marketing, selling and administrative expenses forecast was between $6 billion to $6.2 billion and research and development expenses are estimated in the range of $4.8 billion to $5 billion.

Ford Motor Company ((F)) declined 2.6% or 36 cents to $13.61 after the automaker said December U.S. sales soared 8.4% to 239,242 units, the best monthly sales results since 2005.

The automaker added 2015 unit sales jumped 5.3% to 2,613,162 units from a year ago.

Passenger car sales in the month dropped 4.2% to 57,989 units while utility vehicle sales surged 13.6% to 72,857 units and trucks sales increased 13% to 108,396.

Ford''s average transaction price increased 2.1% to $37,061 from a year ago month.

Fiat Chrysler Automobile NV ((FCAU)) slid 3 cents to $8.96 after the vehicle maker stated U.S. sales in December surged 12.6% to 217,527 vehicles compared to year ago month.

Fiat Chrysler''s U.S. sales increased for the 69th consecutive month as the company''s Jeep brand sales soared 42% to 89,654 units.

Full-year sales for Fiat Chrysler rose 7% to 2.24 million units but RAM Pickup vehicles sales dropped 2% to 43,135 units while Ram truck brand sales increased 4% to 50,463 units.

Fiat Chrysler sold 8,957 units of the new compact crossover and Dodge brand sales jumped 6% to 49,256 units.

The Chrysler brand sales declined 21% while Fiat brand rose just 1%

Kelley Blue Book estimated the average transaction price in December for the light vehicles climbed $297 or 0.9% to $34,428 from a year ago month.

General Motors Company ((GM)) fell 20 cents to $35.99 after the automaker reported total sales in December jumped 5.7% to 290,230 vehicles and retail sales soared 8.2% to 241,724 vehicles.

For the year, total vehicles sales advanced 5% to 3,082,366 units and total retail sales increased 7.8% to 2,404,484 units.

The company’s average transaction price during the month fell 0.6% to $38,902.

The seasonally-adjusted annual selling rate for light vehicles was estimated at 17.8 million units in December.

Light vehicle volumes for 2015 are projected to be a record 17.5 million units, surpassing the 17.4 million unit sales in 2000

Intel Corporation ((INTC)) fell 26 cents to $33.73 after the chipmaker agreed to buy Germany-based drone start up Ascending Technologies GmbH for undisclosed financial terms.