Tue, October 19, 2010
Mon, October 18, 2010
Fri, October 15, 2010
Thu, October 14, 2010
Wed, October 13, 2010
Tue, October 12, 2010
Mon, October 11, 2010
Sun, October 10, 2010
Fri, October 8, 2010
Thu, October 7, 2010
Wed, October 6, 2010
Tue, October 5, 2010
Mon, October 4, 2010
Sun, October 3, 2010
Sat, October 2, 2010
Fri, October 1, 2010
Thu, September 30, 2010
Wed, September 29, 2010
Tue, September 28, 2010
Mon, September 27, 2010
Fri, September 24, 2010
Thu, September 23, 2010
Wed, September 22, 2010
Tue, September 21, 2010
Mon, September 20, 2010
Fri, September 17, 2010
Thu, September 16, 2010
Wed, September 15, 2010
Tue, September 14, 2010
Mon, September 13, 2010
Sat, September 11, 2010
Fri, September 10, 2010
Thu, September 9, 2010
Wed, September 8, 2010
Tue, September 7, 2010
Mon, September 6, 2010
Sat, September 4, 2010
Fri, September 3, 2010
Thu, September 2, 2010

Nike, FactSet Research, Wyndham Worldwide, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and Home Inns & Hotels Management


  Copy link into your clipboard //house-home.news-articles.net/content/2010/09/2 .. s-worldwide-and-home-inns-hotels-management.html
  Print publication without navigation Published in House and Home on by Market Wire
          🞛 This publication is a summary or evaluation of another publication

CHICAGO--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--Zacks.com Analyst Blog features: Nike Inc. (NYSE: [ NKE ]), FactSet Research (NYSE: [ FDS ]), Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: [ WYN ]), Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. (NYSE: [ HOT ]) and Home Inns & Hotels Management Inc. (Nasdaq: [ HMIN ]).

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: [ http://at.zacks.com/?id=4579 ]

Here are highlights from Wednesdaya™s Analyst Blog:

Earnings Preview: Nike, Inc.

The global leader of sports equipment and apparel maker, Nike Inc. (NYSE: [ NKE ]) is expected to report its first quarter 2011 earnings on Thursday, September 23, 2010. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the first quarter is $1.01 per share.

Surprise History

With respect to earnings surprise, Nike shows a favorable trend in the last 4 quarters. The company has recorded mostly positive surprises in the trailing 4 quarters with the stagnant surprise of 0.0% in the fourth quarter of 2010 to the maximum of 13.48% in the third quarter of 2010. On an average basis, the earnings surprise was a positive 9.20%. Based on the current flow, we expect the company to come up with healthy results in the upcoming quarter.

Our Recommendation

Taking into account Nikea™s dominance in the athletic industry, we believe that the company has the ability to drive growth consistently. The companya™s long-term strategy of aggressively expanding operations in the emerging markets and focus on direct-to-consumer business and other brands add to our positive sentiment.

The unique amalgamation of solid balance sheet strength, free cash flow generation capability and an efficient managerial team will enhance Nikea™s top-line performance in the coming quarter.

However, considering the apprehensions about stringent consumer spending and strong competitors across the globe, such as Adidas and Puma, we are compelled to hold on to the Neutral recommendation in the long run.

With an expectation that the stock will perform in line with the broader U.S. equity market over the next one-to-three months, Nike currently has a Zacks #3 Rank (Hold) rating.

FactSet Tops, Stock Dips

FactSet Research (NYSE: [ FDS ]) reported third quarter 2010 EPS of 83 cents, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 80 cents.

Revenue

The company reported revenue for the fourth quarter of $168.2 million, up 8.2% from $155.5 million reported in the year-ago quarter. Factset witnessed some benefits from investments made during the downturn, which helped results across all its key segments.

Revenues from the U.S. were $114.7 million, up 8.0% compared to the year-ago quarter. Non-U.S. revenues also increased 8.0% to $53.5 million.

Annual Subscription Value

Annual Subscription Value (ASV) increased $38.0 million sequentially to $648.0 million in the fourth quarter. Of this, 82.0% of ASV was from buy-side clients and the remainder from sell-side firms performing M&A advisory work and equity research. ASV from FactSet's U.S. operations was $466.0 million, while ASV from international operations amounted to $218.0 million.

The company exited the quarter with 42,800 users, an increase of 2,400 users during the quarter. Client count was 2,110 at quarter-end, a net increase of 35 clients. The annual client retention rate was greater than 95.0% of ASV and 90.0% of clients. Portfolio Analytics (PA) 2.0 was deployed by 693 clients and 6,291 users at quarter-end. PA users increased by 312 sequentially, while the number of PA clients increased by 22.

Operating Results

Operating margin was 34.1% in the quarter, an increase of 10 basis points year over year. The limited expansion in the operating margin was due to the fact that operating expenses increased at a higher rate than revenue. The increase in operating expense can be attributed to the increase in headcount, which improved by 485 employees sequentially.

Net income for the quarter came in at $38.3 million, an increase of 8.3% from $36.3 million reported in the year-ago period. The growth in net income for the quarter was partially offset by other income which declined 24.2% year over year to $72,000. On a fully diluted basis, the quarterly EPS of 83 cents was an increase from 74 cents in the year-ago quarter.

Wyndham & Planet Hollywood Team Up

Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: [ WYN ]) subsidiary Wyndham Hotel Group announced recently that it has entered into a license agreement with Planet Hollywood Resorts International LLC.

As per the agreement, Wyndham will franchise the Planet Hollywood Hotels brand and provide management services globally. However, Wyndham will have no right on branda™s trademarks and intellectual property; the rights will be retained to Planet Hollywood only. The Planet Hollywood brand was founded in 1989 and it is renowned as an entertainment-based brand.

Management anticipates that the recent addition of this brand to its portfolio will enable it to broaden its customer base.

We remain positive on the deal as it is in sync with Wyndhama™s strategy to acquire brands and expand through its franchise model, given that it reduces the companya™s capital intensity. Going forward, we expect Wyndham to benefit from its repositioning as a more fee-for-service based business.

In March 2010, Wyndham Hotel Group signed four franchise agreements in India with Ramada brand, bringing the total number of hotels that the company has opened or under development in India to 14.

Wyndhama™s primary competitors in the hotel industry include Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. (NYSE: [ HOT ]) and Home Inns & Hotels Management Inc. (Nasdaq: [ HMIN ]).

Wyndham currently retains a Zacks #1 Rank, which translates into a short-term Strong Buy rating. We are also maintaining our long-term Outperform recommendation on the stock.

Want more from Zacks Equity Research? Subscribe to the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: [ http://at.zacks.com/?id=5514 ].

About Zacks Equity Research

Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term.

Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons.

Zacks "Profit from the Pros" e-mail newsletter provides highlights of the latest analysis from Zacks Equity Research. Subscribe to this free newsletter today: [ http://at.zacks.com/?id=5516 ]

About Zacks

Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978 by Leonard Zacks. As a PhD in mathematics Len knew he could find patterns in stock market data that would lead to superior investment results. Amongst his many accomplishments was the formation of his proprietary stock picking system; the Zacks Rank, which continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros at [ http://at.zacks.com/?id=4580 ].

Visit [ http://www.zacks.com/performance ] for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.

Follow us on Twitter: [ http://twitter.com/zacksresearch ]

Join us on Facebook: [ http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Zacks-Investment-Research/57553657748?ref=ts ]

Disclaimer: Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investors should always research companies and securities before making any investments. Nothing herein should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security.


Publication Contributing Sources