U.S. HOT STOCK FUTURES: HOT STOCKS TO WATCH
Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Friday's session are Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (VRTX), Air Methods Corp. (AIRM) and International Business Machines Corp. (IBM).
Vertex Pharmaceuticals said data from a mid-stage trial showed significant improvements in lung function among adults with the most common type of the cystic fibrosis, validating the company's research strategy on the disease. Shares soared 52% to $80.24 after hours.
Air Methods said it expects to swing to a first-quarter loss as severe weather and deterioration in payer mix hurt the provider of emergency air-medical-transport-services' results. Shares slumped 18% to $37.50 after-hours Thursday, as analysts had projected the company to post a profit for the quarter.
IBM said it expects to ramp up job cuts this quarter after sales of some software and mainframe computer fell short of expectations. The Armonk, N.Y., company said it will reduce its work force in some areas more quickly this quarter to meet its per-share earnings target for this year of $16.70. Shares were down 4.3% to $198.25 after hours.
B&G Foods Inc.'s (BGS) first-quarter earnings rose 17% as the manufacturer of packaged foods reported improved sales. Shares were up 5.3% at $29.59 after hours as the company lifted its guidance for earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.
Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc.'s (CMG) profit rose 22% in the first quarter, despite facing severe food-cost inflation, as it continued to attract more customers than many of its peers. Shares were up 3.5% to $340 in late trading Thursday, as results topped analysts' estimates.
Cobalt International Energy Inc. (CIE) said a test of a deep section of its Cameia #2 well in offshore Angola didn't produce measurable hydrocarbons. The oil-and-gas exploration company's shares fell 7.8% after hours to $24.50.
Intuitive Surgical Inc.'s (ISRG) first-quarter earnings rose 32% as sales of its robotic surgery machines continued to increase, but signs also emerged that physicians and patients may be getting less comfortable with the robots in gynecological procedures. Shares slipped 3% to $478.50 after hours.
Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) is starting to show the ill-effects from a sinking personal-computer market, but its businesses like videogames and server software are picking up some of the slack. The software company on Thursday reported profits rose 18.5% for its fiscal third quarter ended March 31. Revenue was $18.8 billion after stripping out revenue deferred from prior software sales, up 8.2% from $17.4 billion a year ago and better than some analysts had expected. The growth was driven by sales of back-end corporate software, the Bing search engine and the division including the Xbox videogame business. Microsoft shares rose 2.9% in after-hours trading to $29.63.
PRGX Global Inc. (PRGX) said it expects its first-quarter revenue to fall short of Wall Street estimates, as the auditing-service provider said it was hurt by delays in certain claims. Shares tumbled 18% to $5.11 after hours.
Restoration Hardware Holdings Inc. (RH) swung to a fiscal fourth-quarter loss primarily due to charges related to its initial public offering, though the housewares retailer's revenue continued to strengthen. Shares jumped 9% to $35.70 after hours as results beat analyst expectations and the company offered upbeat guidance for the first-quarter and full year.
Watchlist:
Advanced Micro Devices Inc.'s (AMD) first-quarter loss narrowed as the chip maker reported fewer charges from restructuring, masking a drop in revenue.
AES Corp. (AES) said Chairman Philip Odeen has retired after 10 years on the power and utilities company's board and will be succeeded by director Charles Rossotti.
Align Technology Inc. (ALGN) swung to a first-quarter loss as the maker of Invisalign braces was hurt by goodwill and asset write-downs, though revenue grew.
Capital One Financial Corp.'s (COF) first-quarter earnings fell 24%, a year after the company recorded a $594 million gain related to its acquisition of ING Direct USA.
Cepheid (CPHD) swung to a surprise first-quarter profit as the maker of molecular tests for the health-care industry reported strong sales growth led by its clinical reagents segment.
Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CBST) first-quarter earnings fell 81% as the biopharmaceutical company's research-and-development costs more than doubled, masking revenue growth.
E*Trade Financial Corp. (ETFC) said its first-quarter profit fell 44% as the online brokerage experienced weaker customer trading volume, though it set aside less money for bad loans. The New York company also said Thursday it is on pace to complete the bulk of its deleveraging efforts later in April.
Google Inc. (GOOG) on Thursday provided more evidence it is weathering the storm of lower prices for online ads on mobile devices. The Internet giant posted stable revenue growth in its first quarter as the average price of ads that it sells on websites and mobile apps continued to drop, but at a lower rate than prior quarters.
Healthways Inc.'s (HWAY) first-quarter loss widened amid weaker margins as revenue remained flat.
Lattice Semiconductor Corp. (LSCC) swung to a first-quarter profit as the chip maker benefited from lower tax-related expenses, though revenue edged down slightly.
RadioShack Corp. (RSH) has hired two executives to shake up its stores and marketing strategy, an effort that comes just two months into new Chief Executive Joseph Magnacca's tenure.
Valmont Industries Inc.'s (VMI) first-quarter profit rose 48% as the manufacturer continued to benefit from an expansion of the U.S. transmission grid.
Werner Enterprises Inc.'s (WERN) first-quarter earnings fell 18% as the trucking company reported weaker operating revenue and slightly higher expenses. Results missed expectations.
-Write to Nathalie Tadena at nathalie.tadena@dowjones.com
Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires
Among the companies with shares expected to actively trade in Friday's session are Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (VRTX), Air Methods Corp. (AIRM) and International Business Machines Corp. (IBM).
Vertex Pharmaceuticals said data from a mid-stage trial showed significant improvements in lung function among adults with the most common type of the cystic fibrosis, validating the company's research strategy on the disease. Shares soared 52% to $80.24 after hours.
Air Methods said it expects to swing to a first-quarter loss as severe weather and deterioration in payer mix hurt the provider of emergency air-medical-transport-services' results. Shares slumped 18% to $37.50 after-hours Thursday, as analysts had projected the company to post a profit for the quarter.
IBM said it expects to ramp up job cuts this quarter after sales of some software and mainframe computer fell short of expectations. The Armonk, N.Y., company said it will reduce its work force in some areas more quickly this quarter to meet its per-share earnings target for this year of $16.70. Shares were down 4.3% to $198.25 after hours.
B&G Foods Inc.'s (BGS) first-quarter earnings rose 17% as the manufacturer of packaged foods reported improved sales. Shares were up 5.3% at $29.59 after hours as the company lifted its guidance for earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.
Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc.'s (CMG) profit rose 22% in the first quarter, despite facing severe food-cost inflation, as it continued to attract more customers than many of its peers. Shares were up 3.5% to $340 in late trading Thursday, as results topped analysts' estimates.
Cobalt International Energy Inc. (CIE) said a test of a deep section of its Cameia #2 well in offshore Angola didn't produce measurable hydrocarbons. The oil-and-gas exploration company's shares fell 7.8% after hours to $24.50.
Intuitive Surgical Inc.'s (ISRG) first-quarter earnings rose 32% as sales of its robotic surgery machines continued to increase, but signs also emerged that physicians and patients may be getting less comfortable with the robots in gynecological procedures. Shares slipped 3% to $478.50 after hours.
Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) is starting to show the ill-effects from a sinking personal-computer market, but its businesses like videogames and server software are picking up some of the slack. The software company on Thursday reported profits rose 18.5% for its fiscal third quarter ended March 31. Revenue was $18.8 billion after stripping out revenue deferred from prior software sales, up 8.2% from $17.4 billion a year ago and better than some analysts had expected. The growth was driven by sales of back-end corporate software, the Bing search engine and the division including the Xbox videogame business. Microsoft shares rose 2.9% in after-hours trading to $29.63.
PRGX Global Inc. (PRGX) said it expects its first-quarter revenue to fall short of Wall Street estimates, as the auditing-service provider said it was hurt by delays in certain claims. Shares tumbled 18% to $5.11 after hours.
Restoration Hardware Holdings Inc. (RH) swung to a fiscal fourth-quarter loss primarily due to charges related to its initial public offering, though the housewares retailer's revenue continued to strengthen. Shares jumped 9% to $35.70 after hours as results beat analyst expectations and the company offered upbeat guidance for the first-quarter and full year.
Watchlist:
Advanced Micro Devices Inc.'s (AMD) first-quarter loss narrowed as the chip maker reported fewer charges from restructuring, masking a drop in revenue.
AES Corp. (AES) said Chairman Philip Odeen has retired after 10 years on the power and utilities company's board and will be succeeded by director Charles Rossotti.
Align Technology Inc. (ALGN) swung to a first-quarter loss as the maker of Invisalign braces was hurt by goodwill and asset write-downs, though revenue grew.
Capital One Financial Corp.'s (COF) first-quarter earnings fell 24%, a year after the company recorded a $594 million gain related to its acquisition of ING Direct USA.
Cepheid (CPHD) swung to a surprise first-quarter profit as the maker of molecular tests for the health-care industry reported strong sales growth led by its clinical reagents segment.
Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CBST) first-quarter earnings fell 81% as the biopharmaceutical company's research-and-development costs more than doubled, masking revenue growth.
E*Trade Financial Corp. (ETFC) said its first-quarter profit fell 44% as the online brokerage experienced weaker customer trading volume, though it set aside less money for bad loans. The New York company also said Thursday it is on pace to complete the bulk of its deleveraging efforts later in April.
Google Inc. (GOOG) on Thursday provided more evidence it is weathering the storm of lower prices for online ads on mobile devices. The Internet giant posted stable revenue growth in its first quarter as the average price of ads that it sells on websites and mobile apps continued to drop, but at a lower rate than prior quarters.
Healthways Inc.'s (HWAY) first-quarter loss widened amid weaker margins as revenue remained flat.
Lattice Semiconductor Corp. (LSCC) swung to a first-quarter profit as the chip maker benefited from lower tax-related expenses, though revenue edged down slightly.
RadioShack Corp. (RSH) has hired two executives to shake up its stores and marketing strategy, an effort that comes just two months into new Chief Executive Joseph Magnacca's tenure.
Valmont Industries Inc.'s (VMI) first-quarter profit rose 48% as the manufacturer continued to benefit from an expansion of the U.S. transmission grid.
Werner Enterprises Inc.'s (WERN) first-quarter earnings fell 18% as the trucking company reported weaker operating revenue and slightly higher expenses. Results missed expectations.
-Write to Nathalie Tadena at nathalie.tadena@dowjones.com
Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires
