RIM Rises on Rejected Patents

Elena
24 Feb, 2006
New York City

U.S. blue chips fell after a report of an explosion and shooting at a Saudi Arabian oil facility sent oil back to over $62, raising concerns about high energy costs and inflation. A disappointing report on factory orders further weighed. Patent-holding NTP asked a judge to award it $126 million in damages and issue an injunction against RIM, the maker of BlackBerry, for violating its patents, but all of the 3 patents remaining in dispute were rejected by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

U.S. MARKET AVERAGES

Blue chips fell Friday after news of a suicide bomb attack at a large Saudi Arabian oil facility sent oil prices back above $62. General Motors was the Dow's biggest percentage decliner, falling 1.5%. Food and tobacco company Altria Group also weighed on the Dow with a drop of 1%.

However, the S&P 500 edged higher, pulled up by energy companies' shares, including Exxon Mobil Corp. which rose 1.1%. Apple Computer, up 1% and Research in Motion, up 3.3% boosted the Nasdaq.

On the economic news front, the Commerce Department reported that durable goods orders fell 10.2% in January, the biggest drop in 5 1/2 years and far less than the 0.1% drop economists expected.

In merger-and-acquisition news, British power company National Grid Plc announced it was in talks with KeySpan Corp. Negotiations are likely to lead to a $7 billion takeover of the U.S. natural gas distributor.

American Tower ((AMT)) ticked higher during the morning on upbeat earnings to set a new 52-week high. Western Silver ((WTZ)) broke to a fresh high on a deal to be acquired. Apex Silver Mines ((SIL)) added to recent gains to reach a fresh peak.

Westwood One ((WON)) dropped more than 15% on earnings news,falling to a new 52-week low. Handleman ((HDL)) has also fallen to a fresh low on earnings news. Dana Corp. (DCN) fell sharply on Thursday, setting a new low, and is extending its nadir with a further 18% decline on Friday.

In midday trading, the Dow Jones industrial average fell 26.66, or 0.24%. The Standard & Poor's 500 index added 0.70, or 0.05%, while the Nasdaq composite index gained 0.79, or 0.03%.

Bonds edged lower, with the yield on the 10-year Treasury note rising to 4.57% from 4.56% late Thursday.

MOVERS AND SHAKERS

Texas Industries ((TXPI)) agreed to acquire the U.S. butadiene and related methyl tert-butyl ether operations from Huntsman Corp. for $275 million, which earlier this week agreed to buy the textile effects unit of Ciba Specialty Chemicals. The manufacturing facility has a capacity of approximately 900 million pounds of butadiene per year and approximately 11,000 barrels per day of MTBE. The company’s shares climbed 10%.

Chesapeake Energy Corp ((CHK)) reported Q4 net income jump of $452.5 million, or $1.11 a share, compared with $208.5 million, or 52 cents a share, during the year-earlier period. Revenue advanced to $1.75 billion, compared with $942.1 million last year, exceeding estimates for revenue of $1.23 billion. The company’s shares gained 3.7%.

Westwood One ((WON)) reported Q4 net income decline of $24 million, or 27 cents a share, down from $29.6 million, or 31 cents a share in the year-ago period. Revenue fell to $147 million from $152 million. The quarterly results failed to meet forecasts for earnings of 28 cents a share and revenue of $147.9 million. For Q1 of 2006, the company expects double digit declines in operating income before depreciation and amortization. The stock dropped 18%.

Midway Games ((MWY)) reported a Q4 net loss of $37.8 million, or 42 cents a share, compared with net income of $17.6 million, or 19 cents a share last year. Revenue rose to $69.8 million from $77.2 million last year. For 2006, Midway expects a net loss of $66 million on a 3% revenue growth of $155 million. For Q1 the company projects revenue of $13 million, with a net loss of $22 million. The stock slipped 10.2%.

Nordstrom ((JWN)), retailer, posted Q4 net income rise of $190.4 million, or 69 cents a share, compared with $140 million, or 50 cents a share a year ago, beating estimates by a penny. Revenue rose to $2.3 billion from $2.1 billion reported last year. The company expects to earn $2.15 to $2.23 a share for 2006, below estimates of $2.24. Company’s shares fell 5.5%.

ECONOMIC NEWS

AM Friday morning, the Department of Commerce released its report on durable goods orders in the month of January, a reading of the demand for goods that are expected to last for at least three years. The report showed that orders fell far more than anticipated

The Commerce Dept. said that durable goods orders fell 10.2 percent in January following an upwardly revised increase of 2.5 percent in December. Economists had expected a much more modest decline of 1.2 percent compared to the 1.3 percent increase originally reported for December.

The report showed that the decrease was largely due to a sharp drop in new orders for transportation equipment, which fell by 31.2 percent in January after rising by 3.6 percent in December. The drop in orders for transportation equipment reflected a steep decline in orders for commercial aircraft and parts.

Excluding the transportation sector, new orders for durable goods rose by 0.6 percent compared to a 1.9 percent increase on the same basis in December.

The Commerce Dept. added that shipments of durable goods fell 1.3 percent in January following a 4.1 percent increase in December, while inventories of durable goods rose 0.3 percent in January, marking the fifth consecutive month of growth.

INTERNATIONAL MARKETS NEWS

Asian-Pacific benchmarks finished Friday session mixed, reflecting strong currencies and weakness on the side of major tech stocks, following a strong performance in Japan during the week. The Nikkei was slightly down at 0.04% on weak exporter issues, hurt by falling dollar against the yen. Among other regional markets, Taiwan’s Weighted index climbed 1%, Shanghai Composite gained 0.6%, while India’s Bombay Sensitive index slipped 0.3%.

European stocks finished higher Friday, supported by upbeat financial news from WPP, Lloyds TSB and Sanofi-Aventis. The German DAX 30 gained 0.2%, the French CAC 40 climbed 0.7%, while London’s FTSE 100 rose 0.4%.

OIL, METALS, CURRENCIES

Crude oil prices jumped to $63 on supply concerns triggered by news of a suicide bomb attack in a huge oil refinery in Saudi Arabia. Light sweet crude April delivery climbed $2.46 to $63 a barrel. London Brent for April delivery rose $2.04 to $62.58 a barrel.

European gold advanced on accelerating inflation concerns caused by rising crude oil. In London gold traded advanced to $557.80 bid per troy ounce, up from $553.40. In Zurich the precious metal traded at $557, up from $552.90. In Hong Kong gold fell 20 cents to $551.80. Silver closed at $9.57, down from $9.58.

The U.S. dollar traded mixed against other major currencies. The euro traded at $1.1875, down from $1.1917. The dollar bought 116.79, down from 117.12. The British pound stood at $1.7457, down from $1.7506.

EARNINGS NEWS

Gap Inc., ((GPS)), apparel retailer reported Q4 earnings fell 11% to 39 cents per share, from 40 cents per share in the year-ago period on lower sales. For fiscal year 2005, the company earned $1.24 a share, up from $1.21 a share a year ago. Results were in line with the analysts’ forecast.

MGM Mirage Inc., ((MGN)), casino company, posted a 31 % increase in Q4 earnings to 33 cents per share, in comparison with the same period the previous year weathering the closure of its hurricane-battered resort in Mississippi. If not for non-operating and one-time items, MGM said it earned 35 cents per share, beating analysts’ expectations of 33 cents per share. Revenue per available hotel room advanced 8 % to $152 in Q4, even as the company added 11 %, or 160,000 more room nights, on the Strip.

Wynn Resorts Ltd., ((WYNN)), gambling company, announced a loss of $11.4 million in Q4 because of one-time charges it took in building a casino in Macau. The result is much narrower than the year-ago loss of $127.7 million. If not for $16.5 million in charges, the company earned 5 cents a share, down from 15 cents a share the previous year. Revenue for Q4, came in at $269.4 million, lifted by $131.9 million in net gambling revenue from the company''''s Wynn Las Vegas casino and $177.2 million in non-gambling sales. The company missed analysts'''' expectations of adjusted earnings of 8 cents per share.

Kaydon Corp., ((KDN)), maker of industrial equipment and materials, reported Q4 net income of 46 cents a share, up 44% from 31 cents a share in the year-earlier period, beating analyst estimate of 40 cents a share. Sales increased to $89.7 million from $72.2 million.

OGE Energy Corp, ((OGE)), gas and electricity utility, reported that its Q4 net income soared to $56.1 million, or 61 cents a share, from $9.7 million in the year-ago period on 18.3% revenue growth and mainly due to substantially higher expenses in the year-ago quarter, which stemmed from system reliability improvements.

Huntsman Corp., ((HUN)), chemical manufacturer, reported a Q4 net loss of 27 cents a share, down from a loss of 10 cents a share in the year-earlier quarter. Adjusted income from continuing operations dropped to 14 cents a share, from 43 cents a share despite revenue growth to $3.15 billion from $3.12 billion. The company missed analysts’ expectations for earnings of 28 cents a share.

Citizens Communications Co., ((SZN)), wireline communications services provider, reported that Q4 net income soared to 23 cents a share, from 5 cents a share in the year-ago quarter on 3% sales growth, topping analyst views of 14 cents a share. The company added 21,200 high-speed internet customers during the quarter.

American Retirement Corp, ((ACR)), retirement communities operator in 19 states, reported that Q4 net income surged 88.5% to 12 cents a share on 11.4% higher revenue and stronger sales and reduced leverage had boosted figures.The company added that there were a few negatives, including expenses following Hurricane Wilma, start-up costs related to its new pharmacy operations and higher utility costs, which each cost around 1 cent a share.