Filed under: Deals, Rumors, Newspapers, Business of sports

To those of you sitting at home who often think you can manage your favorite baseball team better than those actually in charge — a position just came open.

On the heels of the New York Yankees bowing out in the first round of post-season play — again — Joe Torre has parted ways with the legendary club, but on his terms. Instead of being dismissed, as many fans and sports analysts were anticipating, Torre was actually given the option of a one-year contract carrying a price tag of $8 million (including incentives).

But the former Yankees skipper — who held the title for 12 years and ranks second in the club’s history for number of wins (at 1,173, trailing only Joe McCarthy) — met Thursday afternoon with Yankee general manager Brian Cashman and owner George Steinbrenner to turn down the offer.

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Filed under: Deals, Rumors, Newspapers, Business of sports

To those of you sitting at home who often think you can manage your favorite baseball team better than those actually in charge — a position just came open.

On the heels of the New York Yankees bowing out in the first round of post-season play — again — Joe Torre has parted ways with the legendary club, but on his terms. Instead of being dismissed, as many fans and sports analysts were anticipating, Torre was actually given the option of a one-year contract carrying a price tag of $8 million (including incentives).

But the former Yankees skipper — who held the title for 12 years and ranks second in the club’s history for number of wins (at 1,173, trailing only Joe McCarthy) — met Thursday afternoon with Yankee general manager Brian Cashman and owner George Steinbrenner to turn down the offer.

Continue reading Joe Torre rejects Yanks’ offer

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Filed under: Earnings reports, Competitive strategy, Apple Inc (AAPL)

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) has been on a roll this quarter. Up almost $30 since its July peak, the company has seen continuing enthusiasm about its iPhone release, with international launches in France, England, and Germany adding to the excitement. New iPods and the iPod Touch also helped keep Apple in the public eye.

However right after the earnings release last July, and iPhone enthusiasm, the stock suffered a strong dip due to fears about iPhone sales. That seems to have ameliorated, but investors do have to watch out for Apple investors who are really iPhone or iPod investors. Investors who are buying into the excitement, but not the fundamentals of the company, and who don’t understand the full range of Apple services. Whenever negative iPod or iPhone news comes out, they have a tendency to run from the stock. Apple will have to demonstrate iPhone sales in line with its projections, and prove that iPods are not being hurt by iPhone sales to reassure jittery fair weather investors.

Last quarter Apple forecast earnings of 65 cents a share, or some $5.7 billion, for this upcoming fourth quarter. This is not as rosy as the third quarter: Apple is expecting back to school promotions and parts costs to cut into it’s profit. However Apple has also beat its expectations for quite a few quarters running now.

As our sister site, The Unofficial Apple Weblog, points out, Apple is gaining marketshare, with somewhere between 6.3 or 8.1% of the market depending on who’s surveying, making it the #3 computer company in the US. With solid sales of its computers, and now iPods and iPhones boosting the bottom line and attention, this fourth quarter is probably going to be another solid one for Apple. Analysts are estimating more than Apple’s predicted 65 cents a share quarter, and consensus seems to be upwards of 80 cents a share.

But we’ll only know for sure when we tune in on Monday to hear what Apple has to say with its latest earnings report. You can also tune in here at Bloggingstocks.com, where we’ll be liveblogging the earnings report.

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage

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Filed under: Earnings reports, Competitive strategy, Apple Inc (AAPL)

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) has been on a roll this quarter. Up almost $30 since its July peak, the company has seen continuing enthusiasm about its iPhone release, with international launches in France, England, and Germany adding to the excitement. New iPods and the iPod Touch also helped keep Apple in the public eye.

However right after the earnings release last July, and iPhone enthusiasm, the stock suffered a strong dip due to fears about iPhone sales. That seems to have ameliorated, but investors do have to watch out for Apple investors who are really iPhone or iPod investors. Investors who are buying into the excitement, but not the fundamentals of the company, and who don’t understand the full range of Apple services. Whenever negative iPod or iPhone news comes out, they have a tendency to run from the stock. Apple will have to demonstrate iPhone sales in line with its projections, and prove that iPods are not being hurt by iPhone sales to reassure jittery fair weather investors.

Last quarter Apple forecast earnings of 65 cents a share, or some $5.7 billion, for this upcoming fourth quarter. This is not as rosy as the third quarter: Apple is expecting back to school promotions and parts costs to cut into it’s profit. However Apple has also beat its expectations for quite a few quarters running now.

As our sister site, The Unofficial Apple Weblog, points out, Apple is gaining marketshare, with somewhere between 6.3 or 8.1% of the market depending on who’s surveying, making it the #3 computer company in the US. With solid sales of its computers, and now iPods and iPhones boosting the bottom line and attention, this fourth quarter is probably going to be another solid one for Apple. Analysts are estimating more than Apple’s predicted 65 cents a share quarter, and consensus seems to be upwards of 80 cents a share.

But we’ll only know for sure when we tune in on Monday to hear what Apple has to say with its latest earnings report. You can also tune in here at Bloggingstocks.com, where we’ll be liveblogging the earnings report.

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage

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Filed under: Earnings reports, Technical Analysis, Stocks to Buy

Whether it’s providing downhole drilling equipment, upgrading your industrial mixers, or seeing to the efficiency of your cosmetics production chain, there is a firm in Dayton, Ohio that’s got you covered.

Robbins & Myers, Inc. (NYSE: RBN) provides equipment used for the industrial processing and management of fluids. Its Fluid Management segment offers hydraulic drilling equipment, slurry grinders, and wellhead systems used by oil and gas, specialty chemical and wastewater treatment firms. The Process Solutions unit makes glass-lined reactors, storage vessels, and mixing/agitation devices for the pharmaceutical and fine chemical markets. The Romaco segment provides equipment for the dosing, filling and sealing of vials, capsules, tubes, and bottles.

Investors were pleased earlier in the week, when the firm reported fiscal Q4 earnings per share (EPS) of $1.05 and revenues of $207 million. The Street had been looking for 84 cents and $199.6 million. Management also guided Q1 EPS to 54-64 cents (63 cent consensus) and Fiscal Year 2008 EPS to $3.30-$3.50 ($3.12 consensus). The CEO said that healthy end-markets were driving sales growth and that a successful restructuring program significantly improved operating margins.

Continue reading Robbins & Myers (RBN): Equipment and systems for a broad range of industrial concerns

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Filed under: Earnings reports, Technical Analysis, Stocks to Buy

Whether it’s providing downhole drilling equipment, upgrading your industrial mixers, or seeing to the efficiency of your cosmetics production chain, there is a firm in Dayton, Ohio that’s got you covered.

Robbins & Myers, Inc. (NYSE: RBN) provides equipment used for the industrial processing and management of fluids. Its Fluid Management segment offers hydraulic drilling equipment, slurry grinders, and wellhead systems used by oil and gas, specialty chemical and wastewater treatment firms. The Process Solutions unit makes glass-lined reactors, storage vessels, and mixing/agitation devices for the pharmaceutical and fine chemical markets. The Romaco segment provides equipment for the dosing, filling and sealing of vials, capsules, tubes, and bottles.

Investors were pleased earlier in the week, when the firm reported fiscal Q4 earnings per share (EPS) of $1.05 and revenues of $207 million. The Street had been looking for 84 cents and $199.6 million. Management also guided Q1 EPS to 54-64 cents (63 cent consensus) and Fiscal Year 2008 EPS to $3.30-$3.50 ($3.12 consensus). The CEO said that healthy end-markets were driving sales growth and that a successful restructuring program significantly improved operating margins.

Continue reading Robbins & Myers (RBN): Equipment and systems for a broad range of industrial concerns

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Filed under: Insiders, Private equity, Next big thing, Politics

A number of news reports in the last few weeks have drawn attention to the involvement of private equity firms in health care companies, particularly nursing homes. Now comes news that Congress wants to look into the situation. Senator Hillary Clinton of New York, a Democrat, and Republican Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa have asked Congress to investigate the situation.

The source of the growing concern about care at for-profit nursing homes owned by private equity firms is an article in The New York Times published in September. The title of the article sums up the situation pretty well: “At Many Homes, More Profit and Less Nursing.” It seems that when private equity gets involved in providing nursing care, more money goes toward making investors comfortable and less toward the elderly folks who actually live in the facilities.

I doubt that too many readers will find this claim surprising. Private equity funds search for return on investment. If a couple thousand old people live a little less comfortably, or die a little sooner — well, too bad. Profits must be made, and the higher the better. What may come as a surprise, though, is the size of this market. For example, the Carlyle Group plans to buy Manor Care Inc. (NYSE: HCR), the largest U.S. nursing home owner, for $4.9 billion. That’s an awful lot of bedpans.

And it turns out that private equity firms are ideally suited to run these operations — assuming that what you want is the highest possible profit rather than, say, excellent care for the elderly. Private equity excels at wringing out costs, and so has no trouble firing many of those expensive nurses who take care of the patients. Private equity also loves to create debt and ownership structures so complex that no one can figure out who actually owns a business — thus shielding the owners from lawsuits. And the nursing home business deals with a powerless group of consumers, many of whom are subsidized by government payments. No wonder private equity firms are jumping into the sector! Just hope that your elderly relatives stay healthy and strong.

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Filed under: Earnings reports, Live coverage, Google (GOOG)

Shares in internet search behemoth Google, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) recently rose to their highest level ever, giving the company a market capitalization figure (briefly) of over $200 billion. For a company that does not exist except in the virtual sense, that’s impressive. The company makes no physical products (save for corporate search appliances) and rose to that level in just over three years on the public market. Is this for real?

Well, Google’s recent quarterly earnings have shown that, so far, it is. The company just continues to make money hand over fist in the internet search arena, and has worked many acquisitions into itself to prepare for the day when — gasp — it can’t grow by leaps and bounds on search results-based text advertising prowess alone. The company reported huge Q3 earnings today, with revenues of over $4.23 billion.

Analyst consensus expectations were for a $3.25 EPS figure, and Google smashed that with a $3.38 (GAAP) figure. So, stay tuned below as we’ll hear what Google execs have to say about yet another record-setting quarter. Be sure and use the “Refresh” key to make sure you catch all the minute-by-minute updates below. All times are in EST.

Continue reading Liveblogging Google’s (GOOG) Q3 results

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Filed under: Insiders, Private equity, Next big thing, Politics

A number of news reports in the last few weeks have drawn attention to the involvement of private equity firms in health care companies, particularly nursing homes. Now comes news that Congress wants to look into the situation. Senator Hillary Clinton of New York, a Democrat, and Republican Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa have asked Congress to investigate the situation.

The source of the growing concern about care at for-profit nursing homes owned by private equity firms is an article in The New York Times published in September. The title of the article sums up the situation pretty well: “At Many Homes, More Profit and Less Nursing.” It seems that when private equity gets involved in providing nursing care, more money goes toward making investors comfortable and less toward the elderly folks who actually live in the facilities.

I doubt that too many readers will find this claim surprising. Private equity funds search for return on investment. If a couple thousand old people live a little less comfortably, or die a little sooner — well, too bad. Profits must be made, and the higher the better. What may come as a surprise, though, is the size of this market. For example, the Carlyle Group plans to buy Manor Care Inc. (NYSE: HCR), the largest U.S. nursing home owner, for $4.9 billion. That’s an awful lot of bedpans.

And it turns out that private equity firms are ideally suited to run these operations — assuming that what you want is the highest possible profit rather than, say, excellent care for the elderly. Private equity excels at wringing out costs, and so has no trouble firing many of those expensive nurses who take care of the patients. Private equity also loves to create debt and ownership structures so complex that no one can figure out who actually owns a business — thus shielding the owners from lawsuits. And the nursing home business deals with a powerless group of consumers, many of whom are subsidized by government payments. No wonder private equity firms are jumping into the sector! Just hope that your elderly relatives stay healthy and strong.

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Filed under: Books

Looking at global warming, water scarcity, increasing pollution and population, and declining natural resources, it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that these problems are too large and intractable, no matter how much money and effort we throw at them. Stuart Hall’s Capitalism at the Crossroads: Aligning Business, Earth and Humanity, with a foreword by recent Noble Peace Prize recipient Al Gore, provides reason for cautious optimism. Just as concentrated human creativity and large-scale changes in behavior helped address holes in the ozone layer, so Hall provides a framework for how multinational corporations, not governments, can lead the efforts to guild a “sustainable global network,” each word being equally important.

Hall is well known for his efforts to help businesses develop products and policies to serve the needs of the 4 billion people in the world who live at “the base of the pyramid.” Rather than think of the 80% of the global population who live in the developing world as “the poor,” Hall provides numerous examples of how businesses can use the developing world as a lab to develop clean technologies using sustainable practices, then scale those results up to the middle of the pyramid.

Now that “going green” has entered mainstream corporate thinking. Hall offers us plans to move “beyond green.” It is not enough for the developed world merely to moderate its carbon footprint. We must rethink how we use the world’s natural rsources to meet our needs in ways that do not make it impossible for future generations to meet theirs. Investors will want to read this book to learn which companies are on the leading edge of developing profitable sustainable technologies to create long-term value for the triple bottom line: social, environmental and economic.

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