Company/EPS Estimate
- (PH)/1.19
- (PNC)/1.07
- (CAL)/.06
- (BK)/.69
- (CMA)/1.06
- (CIT)/.27
- (BLK)/2.15
- (MER)/-4.82
- (IGT)/.36
- (BBT)/.78
- (PPG)/1.12
- (AMD)/-.38
- (WM)/-1.43
- (STX)/.74
- (IBM)/2.68
- (BGG)/.05
- (ORB)/.24
Circuit City Stores Inc. (CC) rose 2 cents to $3.76 in Germany. The second-biggest U.S. electronics retailer hired former Deloitte Consulting LLP executive John Harlow as chief operating officer.
CIT Group Inc. (CIT): The largest independent commercial finance company in the U.S. reported a fourth-quarter loss because of bad home mortgages and the declining value of its student loan business. CIT gained $1.68, or 7.8 percent, to $23.11 in regular trading yesterday.
Deerfield Capital Corp. (DFR): The real estate investment trust recorded non-cash costs of $90.1 million for certain securities, citing ``unfavorable credit market conditions.'' Deerfield rose 7.2 percent to $7.41 yesterday.
El Paso Corp. (EP) dropped 22 cents to $17 in Germany. The owner of a 43,000-mile U.S. pipeline system agreed to sell oil and natural-gas assets in three transactions for a combined $517 million.
Gildan Activewear Inc. (GIL): North America's biggest T- shirt maker said customers are accepting a 2 percent price increase and it may add to 2008 profit. Gildan fell $1.26 to $34.97 yesterday.
Humana Inc. (HUM): The second-largest provider of health plans to the elderly was fined $500,000 by Illinois regulators for using unlicensed agents to sell products sponsored by the U.S. Medicare program. Humana fell 8 cents to $86.34 yesterday.
Merrill Lynch & Co. (MER) dropped $1.94, or 3.5 percent, to $53.15 in trading before U.S. exchanges opened. The largest U.S. brokerage reported a record loss after writing down at least $15 billion of failed investments, ousting its chief executive officer and losing almost half of its market value in 2007.
Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) gained 18 cents to $33.41 in trading before U.S. exchanges opened. The world's biggest software maker was added to the ``conviction buy'' list at Goldman Sachs Group Inc.
WCI Communities Inc. (WCI): The Florida homebuilder whose chairman and largest investor is billionaire Carl Icahn said its creditors agreed to amendments that will help it weather the U.S. housing slump. WCI gained 32 cents, or 15 percent, to $2.44 yesterday.
Watch MHS, PDX, STE, SIE for long breakouts.
Watch LVS, ATI, MHK, KCI, AXE for short breakdown
-MM
