Stocks to Watch, Jan. 27: Microsoft, Chevron

SAN FRANCISCO – Among the companies whose shares are expected to see active trade in Friday's session are Microsoft Corp., Procter & Gamble Co., Chevron Corp., SanDisk Corp. and Broadcom Corp.

Black & Decker Corp. (BDK) is expected to report fourth-quarter earnings of $1.90 cents a share, according to analysts polled by Thomson First Call.

Chevron Corp. (CVX) is seen posting a fourth-quarter profit of $1.89 a share.

FPL Group Inc.'s (FPL) fourth-quarter results are expected to show a per-share profit 40 cents.

Gannett Co. (GCI) is expected to post a profit of $1.41 a share in its fourth quarter.

ITT Industries Inc.'s (ITT) fourth-quarter profit is expected to be $1.41 a share.

Manor Care Inc. (HCR) is seen posting fourth-quarter earnings of 55 cents a share.

Manpower Inc. (MAN) is expected to report a fourth-quarter per-share profit of 85 cents.

Nucor Corp. (NUE) is expected to report a per-share profit of $1.88 in its fourth quarter.

Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) is seen posting fiscal second-quarter earnings of 69 cents a share

T. Rowe Price Group Inc.'s (TROW) fourth-quarter profit is expected to be 83 cents a share.

After Thursday's closing bell, Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) said quarterly profit rose almost 6% as revenue climbed more than 9%. See full story. See After Hours column.

Watch list

Affymetrix Inc. (AFFX) said fourth-quarter net income was $24.8 million, or 35 cents a share, compared with $27.1 million, or 41 cents a share, for the same period a year ago. Sales were $111.5 million, compared with $107.7 million a year ago. Analysts polled by Thomson First Call expected the company to earn 30 cents a share during the quarter.

Bebe Stores Inc. (BEBE) said fiscal second-quarter net income was $25 million, or 27 cents a share, compared with $24.3 million, or 26 cents a share, during the year-earlier period. Analysts polled by Thomson First Call had expected per-share earnings of 26 cents. Bebe, a clothing retailer, said quarterly revenue was $167.9 million, compared with $152.6 million during the same period last year. Analysts were looking for quarterly revenue of $170 million.

Boston Scientific Corp. (BSX) said the Food and Drug Administration has warned that the company's oversight practices for various operations are "inadequate."

Broadcom Corp. (BRCM) said its profit more than doubled amid higher sales of its wireless chips.

CBS Corp. (CBS) said it plans to sell its Paramount Parks business.

Dover Corp. (DOV) said its fourth-quarter earnings jumped 20%. See full story.

Eastman Chemical Co. (EMN) handed in a higher fourth-quarter profit, but the results fell short of analysts' expectations.

Emulex Corp. (ELX) reported fiscal second-quarter net earnings of $17.2 million, or 19 cents a share, vs. $14.2 million, or 16 cents a share, last year. Excluding items, earnings came in at 28 cents a share vs. 21 cents last year. Revenue rose to $110.3 million from $91.7 million. Analysts polled by Thomson First Call had forecast earnings of 29 cents a share on revenue of $110.9 million.

Federated Investors Inc. (FII) said quarterly earnings rose 66% as the mutual-fund giant's money-market fund assets climbed sharply, but the results fell short of most analysts' estimates.

Foundry Networks Inc. (FDRY) reported fourth-quarter net earnings of $20.6 million, or 14 cents a share, up 23% from $16.7 million, or 12 cents a share, in the year-ago period. Revenue at the San Jose, Calif.-based networking company rose to $116.1 million from $104.8 million. Analysts polled by Thomson First Call had forecast earnings of 11 cents a share on revenue of $111 million.

Halliburton Co. (HAL) reported more than $1 billion in fourth-quarter net income, helped by a $540 million tax gain and strong sales despite less work for its KBR unit in Iraq.

Hartford Financial Services Group (HIG) said fourth-quarter profit dropped 24%.

KLA-Tencor Corp. (KLAC) reported its profit fell 37% from a year ago, hurt by a stock-option expensing charge, but sales at the nation's second-largest chip-equipment maker topped expectations.

Leggett & Platt Inc. (LEG) reported a 31% drop in quarterly profit as costs from a restructuring campaign launched in September added up faster than anticipated.

Openwave Systems Inc. (OPWV) reported fiscal second-quarter net earnings of $8.44 million, or 11 cents a share, vs. $1.87 million, or 3 cents a share, in the year-ago period. Excluding items, the company earned $19.3 million, or 22 cents a share, compared with $5.8 million, or 8 cents a share, last year. Revenue at the Redwood City, Calif.-based software company rose to $104.5 million from $103.3 million. Analysts polled by Thomson First Call were looking for revenue of $104 million.

Packeteer Inc. (PKTR) said fourth-quarter net income was $9.1 million, or 26 cents a share, compared with $5.69 million, or 17 cents a share, during the year-earlier quarter. The networking company said pro forma per-share income was 28 cents, compared with 17 cents last year. Packeteer said quarterly revenue was $31.9 million, compared with $26.2 million last year.

PerkinElmer Inc. (PKI) posted a six-fold increase in its quarterly profit, as the health sciences company benefited from the sale of its aerospace business.

PortalPlayer Inc. (PLAY) reported fourth-quarter net earnings of $23.8 million, or 92 cents a share, up from $10.5 million, or 50 cents a share, last year. Excluding stock-based compensation charges and an $8.6 million benefit, the company earned $15.9 million, or 62 cents a share. Analysts polled by Thomson First Call were looking for earnings of 48 cents a share. Revenue at the San Jose, Calif.-based maker of semiconductor and software platforms for multimedia products rose 75%, to $78.2 million from $44.7 million. Analysts had forecast revenue of $74 million.

SanDisk Corp. (SNDK) reported a fourth-quarter profit that rose 72% from a year ago, saying that increased demand for its digital media players resulted in higher sales of its flash-memory chip products.

VeriSign Inc. (VRSN) said its quarterly profit more than doubled, mostly because of a one-time gain of $252 million it made in selling assets to eBay Inc.

Western Digital Corp. (WDC) reported an 86% rise in its second-quarter profit as its disk-drive shipments climbed to more than 18 million units.

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