SAN FRANCISCO – Among the companies whose shares are expected to see active trade in Thursday's session are Apple Computer Inc., eBay Inc., Motorola Inc. and Merrill Lynch & Co.
Capital One Financial Corp. (COF) is expected to post fourth-quarter earnings of 94 cents a share, according to analysts polled by Thomson First Call.
D. R. Horton Inc. (DHI) is seen posting a fiscal first-quarter profit of 94 cents a share.
Freescale Semiconductor Inc.'s (FSL) fourth quarter is expected to show a per-share profit of 38 cents.
Harley-Davidson Inc. (HDI) is expected to show earnings of 81 cents a share in its fourth quarter.
Merrill Lynch & Co.'s (MER) fourth quarter is expected to show a per-share profit of $1.30.
Motorola Inc. (MOT) is seen posting a fourth-quarter profit of 34 cents a share.
SLM Corp.'s (SLM) fourth-quarter results are expected to show per-share earnings of 66 cents.
Union Pacific Corp. (UNP) is expected to post a fourth-quarter profit of 99 cents a share
UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH) is seen posting earnings of 66 cents a share in its fourth quarter.
Wachovia Corp.'s (WB) fourth-quarter results are expected to show a per-share profit of $1.11.
Xilinx (XLNX) is expected to show fiscal third-quarter earnings of 26 cents a share.
After Wednesday's closing bell, Apple Computer Inc. (AAPL) reported a 95% rise in first-fiscal-quarter profit, powered by sales of its iPod music players.
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Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) said it swung to a fourth-quarter profit on higher sales of chips used in computers and servers.
Citrix Systems Inc. (CTXS) reported fourth-quarter net earnings of $58.9 million, or 32 cents a share, up 13% from $52.3 million, or 30 cents a share, in the year-ago period. Excluding some items, the company's earnings were 36 cents a share compared with 29 cents a share last year. Analysts polled by Thomson First Call had forecast earnings of 31 cents a share. Revenue at the Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based software company rose to $268.7 million from $214 million a year ago.
Dynavax Technologies Corp. (DVAX) said results from a clinical trial of a ragweed allergy treatment showed that patients experienced a significant reduction in total nasal symptom scores compared with placebo-treated patients. The Berkeley, Calif.-based company plans to launch a Phase III clinical trial of the drug, Tolamba, in the first half of the year, and pursue talks with the Food & Drug Administration about Tolamba's potential registration strategy.
EBay Inc. (EBAY) reported fourth-quarter profit rose 36% and said sales topped its forecast on strength in its online payments business.
First Horizon National Corp. (FHN) said fourth-quarter net income was $109.9 million, or 85 cents a share, compared with $103.2 million, or 81 cents a share, during the year-earlier period. Analysts polled by Thomson First Call had expected per-share earnings of 85 cents. The Memphis, Tenn.-based bank reported quarterly net interest income of $254.8 million, compared with $228.4 million last year.
Hutchinson Technology Inc. (HTCH) reported fiscal first-quarter net earnings of $6.05 million, or 22 cents a share, vs. $13.4 million, or 47 cents a share, during the same period a year ago. The Hutchinson, Minn.-based supplier of suspension assemblies for disk drives posted revenue of $184.6 million vs. $145.6 million. Gross margin was 21% for the quarter compared with 28% a year ago. Analysts polled by Thomson First Call had forecast first-quarter earnings of 20 cents a share on revenue of $181 million.
Knight Transportation Inc. (KNX) reported fourth-quarter net earnings of $18.5 million, or 21 cents a share, up 27% from $14.6 million, or 17 cents a share, in the year-ago period. Revenue at the Phoenix-based trucking company rose to $164.6 million from $126.8 million last year. Analysts polled by Thomson First Call had estimated earnings of 20 cents a share on revenue of $150 million. The company expects its fleet to grow 15% in 2006.
Energy pipeline and distribution company Kinder Morgan Inc. (KMI) posted nearly flat fourth-quarter earnings despite doubling its revenue on soaring natural gas prices after the summer's Gulf Coast hurricanes.
Lam Research Corp. (LRCX) reported fiscal second-quarter net earnings of $77.78 million, or 55 cents a share, down 7% from $83.61 million, or 59 cents a share, a year ago. Revenue at the chip-equipment maker fell 5.7% to $358.25 million from $379.8 million in the year-ago period. Its gross margin was 49.5% compared with 52.4% last year, said the Fremont, Calif.-based company.
Majesco Entertainment Co. (COOL) said unaudited sales for its fiscal fourth quarter ended Oct. 31 fell 90% to $4.6 million from $45.6 million a year ago. The Edison, N.J.-based video game publisher said it swung to a quarterly loss of $34.2 million, or $1.54 on a per share basis, compared to a profit of $16.2 million, or 74 cents a share from the year before. Due to the cost of developing games for next generation consoles, the company said it will sell off its rights to or cancel its titles still in development, and turn its focus primarily to developing games for handheld devices.
QLogic Corp. (QLGC) said third-quarter net income was $166.2 million, or $2.04 a share, compared with $43.4 million, or 46 cents a share, during the year-earlier quarter. The Aliso Viejo, Calif.-based data storage company said quarterly revenue was $129.2 million, compared with $116 million last year.
Radian Group Inc. (RDN) reported fourth-quarter net earnings of $104.46 million, or $1.24 a share, a 33% drop from $156 million, or $1.62 a share, last year. Revenue fell 21% to $298.64 million from $379.14 million in the year-ago period. The private mortgage insurance provider said net premiums written during the quarter totaled $272.72 million, compared with $287.26 million last year.
Seagate Technology Inc. (STX) reported its second-quarter profit doubled to $287 million behind strong demand for disk drives used to store digital media.
Spansion Inc. (SPSN) reported a wider fourth-quarter loss on higher costs, while sales rose amid increased demand for its flash-memory chips used in mobile phones and other consumer electronics.
Washington Mutual Inc. (WM) said its fourth-quarter profit climbed 29% as the lender got a boost from its acquisition last year of credit-card company Providian Financial.