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News, analysis and insights from Barron's Silicon Valley bureau.
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Overstock Violates Nasdaq Listing Rules
Overstock.com (OSTK) this afternoon said it received a letter from Nasdaq yesterday indicating that OSTK violated Nasdaq’s listing rules when it filed a 10-Q for the September quarter that was not reviewed by an auditor. As reported ...
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Sprint: Moody’s Downgrades Debt On Weak Earnings Outlook
Moody’s today downgraded its corporate family rating on Sprint Nextel (S) to Ba2 from Ba1 “because the company’s ability to stem the deterioration of its earnings is taking longer than originally anticipated.” As a ...
Teslas Motors Reportedly Planning IPO
Tesla: Driving toward an IPO?
Tesla Motors , the Valley-based maker of electric sports cars, plans to go public soon, according to Reuters , which cites “two people familiar with the situation.” The story said an IPO ...
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The Curious Case Of Netlist Inc.
Something very peculiar is going on with a small-cap storage products company called Netlist Inc. (NLST) .
A 100-person memory products company based in Irvine, California, Netlist had been bumping along in low-price, ...
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Synopsys: S&P Turns Bearish, See Tight Chip Sector Spending
Standard & Poor’s equity analyst Jim Yin today cut his rating on EDA software provider Synopsys (SNPS) from Sell from Hold, trimming his price target by a buck to $21.
“Although the economy is improving, we think the recovery ...
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RIMM: FTN Downgrades; Competitive Worries Spread
FTN Capital analyst Blaine Carroll today cut his rating on Research In Motion (RIMM) to Neutral from Buy, citing evidence that the company is losing market share in the U.S. smart phone market.
Carroll’s downgrade is in connection with ...
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Phones
Verizon
Metro PCS Should Buy Leap, Pali Says
MetroPCS (PCS) should buy Leap Wireless (LEAP ) in a stock swap, Pali Research analyst Walter Piecyk proposed in a research note today.
Piecyk even proposes terms: he thinks MetroPCS should issue 3 of its shares for each LEAP share.
...
The Dell Earnings Debacle: The Day After
Dell (DELL) shares have dropped 10% after yesterday’s highly disappointing earnings report for the fiscal third quarter ended October. As I noted yesterday, the company missed on both the revenue and EPS lines, posting ...
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Computing
Dell
Deutsche Telekom Reportedly Seeking Partner For T-Mobile
Deutsche Telekom (DT) is looking for a partner for T-Mobile , its U.S. wireless unit, according to a story in the German newspaper Handelsblatt which was picked up by Reuters . The piece says the company wants the partner to help finance a ...
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Phones
4G
Sprint
Archipelago Learning Moving Higher After IPO
Archipelago Learning (ARCL) shares are trading higher after the K-12 online education provider this morning went public at $16.50 a share , towards the high end of the price talk range of $15-$17, with an offering of 6.25 million shares. The ...
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RealNetworks In Talks On Revamped Deal With MTV
RealNetworks (RNWK) this morning disclosed in an 8-K filing with the SEC that it is in talks with Viacom ’s (VIA) MTV Networks unit on the possible restructuring of their jointly owned Rhapsody America music service. The company ...
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Computing
VIA
EU Extends Deadline For Review Of Oracle/Sun Deal
European Union regulators today extended the deadline for their review of the pending $7 billion acquisition by Oracle (ORCL) of Sun Microsystems (JAVA) , Reuters reports .
Oracle requested the extension in order to complete its response ...
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The Sad Saga Of TheStreet.com
Ye gads, what happened to TheStreet.com (TSCM) ?
Earlier this week, the company announced that Nasdaq has granted the company a 180-day exception - until February 8, 2010 - to get back into compliance with listing requirements. In ...
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Nokia To Cut 330 R&D Jobs
Nokia (NOK) this morning said it plans to cut 330 research and development jobs, about 2% of its global R&D staff. The cuts include up to 230 employees in Oulu, Finland, and about 100 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The company said it has over ...
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Phones
Nokia
Aruba Slides Despite Solid FY Q1; Q2 Guidance Slightly Ahead of Estimates
Aruba Networks (ARUN) shares are trading sharply lower this morning despite solid results for the fiscal first quarter ended October. As I noted yesterday, the provider of enterprise-class WiFi gear posted revenue for the quarter of $57.5 ...
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F5: Aruiga Downgrades To Hold
F5 Networks (FFIV) shares are coming under selling pressure this morning after Auriga USA analyst Tony Carbone cut his rating on the stock to Hold from Buy.
Carbone notes that the stock is up 17% since reporting “stellar” FY Q4 ...
Liberty Interactive: Citi Upgrades On Rebound At QVC
Citigroup analyst Jason Bazinet this morning upped his rating on Liberty Interactive (LINTA) to Buy from Hold, with a new target of $13.25, up from $12. At the root of the call: a more bullish view on better performance at the cable and Web ...
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Verigy FY Q4 Tops Estimates; Q1 Outlook Beats Street
Verigy (VRGY) shares are up sharply after the semiconductor test company posted Q4 results for its fiscal fourth quarter ended October 31.
For the quarter, Verigy posted revenue of $97 million, up 11% sequentially, and slightly better than ...
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Chordiant Software FY Q4 Results Miss Street Forecasts
Chordiant Software (CHRD) reported worse-than-expected results for its fiscal fourth quarter ended September 30 . Revenue was $15.2 million, down from $28.4 million a year, and below the Street at $17.9 million. A non-GAAP loss of 7 cents a ...
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Aruba Networks FY Q1 Revs Top Ests; EPS In Line
Aruba Networks (ARUN) this afternoon posted revenue for its fiscal first quarter ended October 31 of $57.6 million, up 10% from a year ago, and a bit ahead of the Street at $56 million. Non-GAAP EPS of 4 cents a share was in line with Street ...
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ADC Telecom Swoons On Weak December Qtr Outlook
ADC Telecom (ADCT) shares are down sharply after the network equipment provider offered disappointing guidance for its fiscal first quarter ending in December.
ADCT recently switched to a September 30 fiscal year end, from an October 31 year. ...
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Intuit FY Q1 Tops Estimates; Q2 Outlook Misses
Intuit (INTU) this afternoon posted better-than-expected results for its fiscal first quarter ended October 31, with revenue of $493 million, up 2% from a year ago, and ahead of the Street at $487.7 million. Non-GAAP loss of 10 cents a share ...
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Dell: Dude, You Laid Another Egg
Dell (DELL) shares are headed south this afternoon after the company posted disappointing results for its fiscal third quarter ended October 30.
Dell posted revenue for the quarter of $12.9 billion, up 1% sequentially, down 15% from a year ...
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Computing
Dell
Coming: Another Rotten Xmas For Electronics Retailers
Retailing analyst T. Grinch.
For electronics retailers, the coming holiday shopping season could be less ho, ho, ho , and more boo, hoo, hoo .
Well Fargo Securities yesterday issued a grim forecast for the 2009 holidays: they see ...
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Apple: Getting A Boost From QCOM Licensing Loophole
Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi this morning weighed in with a fascinating look at the under-appreciated boost Apple (APPL) gets from a highly attractive licensing arrangement for 3G radio patents held by Qualcomm (QCOM) .
With ...
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Malone To Telcos: Go Ahead, Bid For DirecTV
Liberty Media (LINTA) Chairman John Malone today effectively invited Verizon (VZ) and AT&T (T) to make an offer for DirecTV (DTV) , the satellite broadcasting he controls.
Speaking at a special meeting where holders ...
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HDTV
Comcast
Verizon
Google: Chrome OS Launch A Year Away
Google (GOOG) today said the official launch of Google Chrome OS , the company’s planned foray into the desktop OS sector dominated by Microsoft (MSFT) Windows, is still a year away.
Speaking at a media event at the company’s ...
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Computing
Google Chrome OS
GSI Commerce: Morgan Stanley Upgrades, Stock Rallies
GSI Commerce (GSIC) shares have received a lift from Morgan Stanley analyst Scott Devitt , who today upped his rating on the shares to Overweight from Equal Weight, lifting his price target to $26, from $22.
Devitt writes that the company ...
SOLF: Rally Extends As Oppenheimer Upgrades
Solarfun (SOLF) , which rallied yesterday on strong Q3 results , has gotten a lift today from Oppenheimer analyst Sam Dubinsky , who raised his rating on the stock to Outperform from Perform. He set a price target on the stock of ...
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Google: UBS Ups Estimates, Boosts Target To $700; Sees Stronger Keyword Pricing
UBS analysts Brian Pitz and Brian Fitzgerald this morning repeated their Buy rating on Google (GOOG) , while lifting their price target on the stock to $700, from $635. GOOG closed yesterday at $576.65.
The UBS duo also boosted their 2009 EPS ...
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Kulicke & Soffa FY Q4 Tops Estimates, But Stock Tumbles
Kulicke & Soffa (KLIC) shares are getting clobbered this morning, despite a better-than-expected financial report for its fiscal fourth quarter ended October 3.
For the quarter, KLIC posted revenue of $110.5 million, up 80% ...
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Trina Solar Gains On Strong Q3 Results
Trina Solar (TSL) shares are trading higher on stronger-than-forecast Q3 results.
For the quarter, the integrated China-based solar products company posted revenue of $249.7 million, down 14.1% year-over-year, but up 66.5% sequentially and ...
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Apple: Tablet Delayed Until Second Half 2010?
Apple (AAPL) plans to postpone the launch of its tablet PC from March until the second half of 2010, DigiTimes reports , citing “sources from component makers.” The Taiwan-based news site reports that the delay reflects a decision to ...
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Computing
OLED
Apple Tablet
LCD
AOL Reportedly Shopping ICQ, Mapquest
In a pair of posts , AllThingsD is reporting that AOL has hired bankers to shop both ICQ , the pioneering instance messaging service, as well as Mapquest .
Kara Swisher reports that AOL has hired Allen & Co. and Morgan Stanley to ...
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Merrill Turns Cautious On Chips, Foundries; Many Downgrades; Stocks Swoon
Bank of America/Merrill Lynch chip analyst Sumit Dhanda this morning turned cautious on semiconductor stocks, downgrading a slew of stocks; his colleague Daniel Heyler made a comparable on the foundries, lower ratings on a number of stocks.
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GameStop FY Q3 Edges Estimates; Q4 View In Line
GameStop (GME) this morning reported slightly better-than-expected results for its fiscal third quarter ended October 31.
For the quarter, the video-game retailer posted revenue of $1.83 billion, up from $1.7 billion a year ago, and ahead of ...
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Suntech Q3 Results Beat Estimates
Suntech (STP) this morning posted better-than-expected Q3 results .
The China-based solar company reported Q3 revenue of $473.1 million, up 47.4% from the $321 million reported in Q2, and well ahead of the Street at $426.6 million, though down ...
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AOL To Cut Staff By A Third
AOL disclosed in an SEC filing this morning that it plans to reduce its staff by about a third, via voluntary and and involuntary job reductions. The move is part of a cost-reduction program as the company prepares to return to the public markets ...
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Amazon Slashes Palm Pre To $79.99; Pixi Now $24.99
The smart phone price war rages on.
In the latest example, Amazon.com (AMZN) has slashed the price of the Palm Pre to $79.99 with a two-year service plan from Sprint (S) ; they’re also throwing in free activation of the phone. And ...
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Phones
Palm Pre
Sprint
Microvision Plans Stock Offering; Shrs Trade Off
Microvision (MVIS) this afternoon said it plans to sell shares of its common stock in an underwritten public offering. The company did not disclose any other details of the plan. Microvision said it plans to use proceeds for general corporate ...
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Semtech To Buy Sierra Monolithics For $180M In Cash (Updated)
Semtech (SMTC) , which makes analog and mixed-signal chips, this afternoon said it agreed to acquire Sierra Monolithics for $180 million in cash. Based in Irvine, California (which is actually quite a long way from the Sierras), Sierra ...
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Computing
NetApp FY Q2 Revs, EPS Crush Estimates
NetApp (NTAP) this afternoon posted revenue for its fiscal second quarter ended October 30 of $910 million, up 9% sequentially, roughly flat year-over-year and ahead of the Street at $881.03 million. Non-GAAP EPS of 37 cents a share was nicely ...
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Autodesk: Merrill Gives Up As Key Metrics Suffer Reversal
It’s been a rough day for Autodesk (ADSK) , which after the close yesterday provided a disappointing outlook for its fiscal fourth quarter ending in January.
Aggravating the situation, Bank of America/Merrill Lynch analyst Kash Rangan ...
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AMZN: Piper Bumps Target To $163; Ups Estimates; Sees Higher Gross Margin
Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster this afternoon repeated his Overweight rating on Amazon.com (AMZN) , lifting his price target ont he shares to $163, from $119. Yesterday, the stock closed at $131.25.
Munster thinks the company’s gross ...
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Sony Ericsson Closing North Carolina Site; 425 Jobs Hit
Sony Ericsson ( SNE , ERIC ) is shutting down its North American headquarters in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, the company told employees at the site today, according to the Raleigh News & Observer .
The cuts are apparently part ...
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Phones
Sony Ericsson
DirecTV Names Pepsi Exec Michael White CEO
DirecTV (DTV) today named Michael White , currently Pepsico (PEP) vice chairman Michael White as CEO. He will take the job January 1. White, who is also CEO of Pepsico International , previously announced plans to to retire from Pepsico ...
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Nokia Launches N900; $649 At Retail; Good Luck With That
N900: Going it alone.
Nokia (NOK) today announced that its N900 smart phone is now on sale in the U.S. through Nokia’s stores in New York and Chicago, through independent retailers and via Amazon.com - at $649.
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Phones
Nokia
QWERTY
American Express Buying Revolution Money For $300M
American Express (AXP) this morning said it agreed to acquire Revolution Money from founder Steve Case and a group of investors for about $300 million. Revolution provides secure payments over the Internet; AMEX says the company’s ...
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Ripoff Alert: Senate Probes “Post Transaction Marketing,” Other Dubious Web Sales Practices; UNTD, VPRT Slide
Several Internet stocks are taking some heat this morning following the release yesterday of a Senate report on aggressive sales tactics on the Web - and in particular singling out for scorn a practice known as “post-transaction ...
Seems Like Old Times: Fortinet Jumps After IPO
Fortinet (FTNT) shares are having an impressive IPO day.
The company, a Sunnyvale-based provider of computer security appliances and “unified threat management solutions,” went public this morning in a deal priced $12.50 a share. ...
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