Stocks to Watch: Research in Motion, Palm, Komag

SAN FRANCISCO – Among the companies whose shares are expected to see active trade in Friday's session are Research in Motion Ltd., Palm Inc., Komag Inc. and Micron Technology Inc.

99 Cents Only (NDN) is expected to report fiscal fourth-quarter earnings of a penny a share, according to a poll of analysts by Thomson Financial.

A. Schulman Inc. (SHLM) is seen posting a per-share profit of 25 cents for its fiscal third-quarter.

After Thursday's closing bell, Research in Motion Ltd. (RIMM) said strong BlackBerry sales pushed its fiscal first-quarter earnings up 73 percent.

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3Com Corp. (COMS) reported a fiscal fourth-quarter net loss of $66.2 million, or 17 cents a share, versus $15.2 million, or 4 cents a share, in the year-ago period. The company said separately it plans to launch an initial public offering of stock of its TippingPoint subsidiary.

ABX Air Inc. (ABXA) said it has received an unsolicited "indication of interest" from Astar Air Cargo Holdings LLC to acquire ABX for $7.75 a share in cash. No formal offer has yet been made, said Wilmington, Ohio-based ABX, a cargo airline.

Accenture (ACN) said net income for the three months ended May 31 rose to $345.4 million, or 54 cents a share, from $342.3 million, or 56 cents a share, in the year-ago quarter. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial had forecast 55 cents a share in the most recent quarter. The technology consulting and outsourcing company said revenues rose 15 percent to $5.5 billion. Excluding reimbursements, net revenues rose to $5.08 billion, also up 15 percent. The company has raised its outlook for earnings per share for its fiscal year 2007 to a range of $1.94 to $1.96 from the previous range of $1.88 to $1.93.

American Home Mortgage Investment Co. (AHM) expects a second-quarter loss on substantial charges for credit-related expenses and withdrew its 2007 earnings guidance. The Melville, N.Y., mortgage real estate investment trust said it will have "substantial" delinquency-related charges in the quarter and will reclassify a portion of its other losses. American Home Mortgage said it is withdrawing its earnings forecast because of the second-quarter results and current conditions in the mortgage industry. It expects to reissue guidance toward the end of the year.

Apollo Group Inc.'s (APOL) third-quarter net income fell slightly to $131.4 million, or 75 cents a share, from $131.5 million, or 75 cents a share, in the year-ago period. The Phoenix education company's revenue rose 12 percent to $733.4 million from $653.4 million in the year-ago period. On average, analysts expected per-share earnings of 67 cents on revenue of $703.3 million, according to a poll by Thomson Financial.

Arrow International Inc.'s (ARRO) fiscal third-quarter net income rose 4.4 percent to $14.5 million, or 31 cents a share, from $13.9 million, or 31 cents a share, a year earlier.

Black Box Corp. (BBOX) reported preliminary fiscal fourth-quarter net earnings of $6.97 million, or 39 cents a share, up from $4.66 million, or 26 cents a share, in the year-ago period. Excluding certain items, the company earned 71 cents a share versus 53 cents a share last year.

Blockbuster Inc. (BBI) expects to close 282 of its U.S. stores this year, according to a filing Thursday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Champion Industries Inc. (CHMP) agreed to acquire the Herald-Dispatch from Fairport, N.Y., publisher GateHouse Media Inc. (GHS) for $77 million.

Christopher & Banks Corp.'s (CBK) fiscal first-quarter net income fell 20 percent to $11.7 million, or 32 cents a share, from $14.6 million, or 39 cents a share, a year earlier. The Minneapolis-based women's retailer's total sales rose 5 percent for the quarter ended June 2 to $149.4 million from $142.5 million for the year-ago period. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial expected, on average, per-share earnings of 30 cents on revenue of $149 million. Same-store sales fell 4 percent. The company said it sees fiscal second-quarter per-share net income of between 11 cents and 12 cents, while analysts expect per-share earnings of 20 cents.

Finish Line Inc. (FINL) said it swung to a fiscal first-quarter loss of $3.87 million, or 8 cents a share, from a profit of $4.36 million, or 9 cents a share, a year earlier on $5.67 million in operating losses. The Indianapolis retailer said revenue for the quarter ended June 2 fell slightly to $288.3 million from $289 million a year ago. On average, analysts polled by Thomson Financial predicted a first-quarter loss of 10 cents a share and revenue of $288.4 million. Analyst estimates exclude items.

Heelys, Inc. (HLYS) said it has withdrawn its registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a secondary public offering of 4.5 million shares by some of its stockholders.

Micron Technology Inc. (MU) said it swung to a fiscal third-quarter loss of $225 million as the maker of chip memory technology saw huge price declines across most of its major product lines. See full story.

Palm Inc. (PALM) reported fiscal fourth-quarter net earnings of $15.4 million, or 15 cents a share, down 44 percent from $27.2 million, or 25 cents a share, in the year-ago period. Excluding items, the company earned 17 cents a share. Revenue in the quarter ended May 31 fell to $401.3 million from $403.1 million. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial were expecting, on average, a per-share profit of 15 cents on revenue of $407 million. Palm forecast fiscal first-quarter per-share results in a range of a loss of a penny to a profit of penny. Excluding items, the company expects earnings of 7 cents to 9 cents a share. Palm forecast revenue of $355 million to $365 million. Analysts are looking for a per-share profit of 14 cents on revenue of $393 million.

Robbins & Myers Inc. (RBN) late Thursday said it swung to a fiscal third-quarter net profit of $13.2 million, or 77 cents a share, from a year-ago net loss of $75,000, or a penny a share. The Dayton, Ohio-based maker of equipment for the pharmaceutical, energy and industrial markets said revenue in the three months ended May 31 rose to $171.4 million from $153.2 million in the comparable period last year. The company said it expects fourth quarter earnings of 75 cents to 85 cents a share, and increased its fiscal 2007 earnings forecast to a range of $2.60 to $2.70 a share from its previous view of $2.20 to $2.40 a share. Analysts are looking for fourth-quarter earnings of 72 cents a share and fiscal 2007 earnings of $2.40 a share.

Soletron Corp.'s (SLR) third-quarter net income fell 71 percent to $42 million, or 1 cent a share, from $42 million, or 5 cents a share, a year earlier. Excluding items, the company recorded adjusted per-share earnings of 6 cents. The Milpitas, Calif., electronics company's revenue rose 10 percent to $2.99 billion from $2.7 billion in the year-ago period. On average, analysts expected adjusted per-share earnings of 5 cents on revenue of $2.99 billion, according to a poll by Thomson Financial.

Western Digital Corp. (WDC) agreed to acquire Komag Inc. (KOMG) for about $1 billion. The $32.25-a-share offer is a 9 percent premium to Komag's Thursday close of $29.58. Separately, Komag cut its second-quarter revenue outlook, prompting it to project a "substantial" operating loss for the period.