Elizabeth Harrow
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Shares of The Boston Beer Company (NYSE: SAM) surged to a new 52-week high Friday morning, after the brewmaster reported a third-quarter profit of $10.4 million, or 72 cents per share, on revenue of $108.7 million. The company swung to a loss of 2 cents per share in the third quarter of 2008, but attributed its turnaround to strong shipments and decreased advertising expenses.

The results were better than analysts expected, with consensus estimates calling for Boston Beer to bank a profit of 39 cents per share on $107.5 million. Looking forward, Boston Beer now expects full-year earnings of $1.75 per share to $2.05 per share, a marked increased from its prior forecast for a 2009 profit of $1.40 per share to $1.70 per share.

Traders initially seemed thrilled with Wednesday's third-quarter earnings report from Lumber Liquidators (NYSE: LL), but the stock then backpedaled into the red. The retailer banked a quarterly profit of $7.8 million, or 28 cents per share, up from its year-ago net income of $5.5 million, or 20 cents per share. Revenue for the period surged 14% to $140.5 million. The results comfortably outpaced analysts' consensus estimates, which called for a profit of 24 cents per share on $137.1 million in revenue.

Looking ahead, Lumber Liquidators is forecasting full-year revenue of $535 million to $543 million, up from its previous guidance of $528 million to $538 million. Earnings for fiscal 2009 are expected to range between 90 cents and 95 cents per share, compared to the retailer's previous forecast of 85 cents to 91 cents per share. Wall Street, on average, is expecting full-year earnings of 90 cents per share on $537.1 million.

Hartford Financial Services (NYSE: HIG) is scheduled to step into the earnings spotlight right after Tuesday's closing bell, with the insurance issue releasing its final third-quarter figures. Analysts are expecting Hartford to report a profit of $1.11 per share, according to Thomson Reuters, representing a dramatic reversal from its year-ago loss of $1.40 per share.

Hartford has a mixed history on the earnings front, with the company exceeding consensus expectations in two of the previous four reporting periods -- and falling short of Wall Street's predictions during the other two quarters. On the plus side, sector peer Lincoln National (NYSE: LNC) recently released a stronger-than-expected third-quarter report, which could bode well for Hartford.

An article in Barron's suggests that Motorola (NYSE: MOT) is on the verge of regaining some of its former mojo. The company recently offered a solid outlook for the remainder of the year, and it could garner new business after debuting two smartphones featuring Google's (NASDAQ: GOOG) Android operating system -- namely, the Droid and the Cliq.

The author cites analyst Ed Snyder of Charter Equity Research, who believes Motorola is on the cusp of "an extended upswing in handsets ... over the next several quarters." Snyder believes that the firm's ailing handset division could achieve break-even results as soon as the second quarter of 2010.

Geron Corp. (NASDAQ: GERN) surged right out of the gate Friday morning, as traders cheered the stem cell stock's narrower-than-expected quarterly loss. After Thursday's close, Geron reported a third-quarter loss of $15.2 million, or 17 cents per share, while revenue arrived at $494,000.

Operating expenses for the quarter fell on a year-over-year basis from $18.3 million to $16.9 million, while research and development costs dwindled from $14.2 million to $13.4 million.

A report in Thursday's The Wall Street Journal [subscription required] reveals that American International Group (NYSE: AIG) is actually reaping the benefits of its risky bets in the credit-default swap market.

AIG was forced to shell out billions to Wall Street banks amid last year's credit crisis, as the assets backed by the credit-default swaps plummeted in value. However, the market's reversal of fortune means that banking heavyweights, such as Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE: GS), are now returning collateral to the infamous insurance giant.

Ivanhoe Mines (NYSE: IVN) was broadly lower Wednesday after mining giant Rio Tinto (NYSE: RTP) boosted its stake in the company from 9.9% to 19.7%. Rio Tinto raised its interest in Ivanhoe by purchasing 46.3 million common shares for $388 million. The proceeds will be used to help build and commission Ivanhoe's Oyu Tolgoi project in Mongolia.

Thanks to the capital infusion, Ivanhoe now has roughly $610 million in cash on its balance sheet. However, traders are hardly cheering the news -- perhaps because Rio Tinto snapped up the stock at a bargain price of $8.38 per share, representing a steep discount to Tuesday's closing price of $11.51.

LDK Solar Co., Ltd. (NYSE: LDK) was broadly higher Tuesday after boosting its top-line guidance for the third quarter. The alternative energy issue now anticipates revenue of $270 million to $290 million for the period, compared to its earlier forecast for $240 million to $270 million. Analysts' consensus expectations call for third-quarter revenue of just $249.9 million, according to Thomson Reuters.

LDK added that it now expects wafer shipments for the third quarter to range between 310 megawatts (MW) and 330 MW, up from its previous view of 260 MW to 300 MW. Simultaneously, the firm dropped its forecast for module shipments -- instead of 10 MW to 20 MW, LDK is now looking for module shipments of 5 MW to 10 MW.

The shares of Domino's Pizza (NYSE: DPZ) gapped sharply lower this morning, despite a stronger-than-expected third-quarter profit. Ahead of the bell, Domino's reported net income of $17.8 million, or 31 cents per share, for the quarter ended Sept. 6. Excluding a $14.3 million pretax gain, Domino's profit of 17 cents per share was two cents better than analysts expected.

However, revenue for the period tumbled 6.5% to $302.7 million, falling well short of consensus estimates for $308.9 million. Same-restaurant sales were flat in the U.S., although they were up 2.7% internationally. With top-line results softer than expected, the pizza chain cited lower interest expense and tighter cost controls for the robust bottom-line results.

Depomed Inc. (NASDAQ: DEPO) opened Monday on a loss of nearly 50%, as traders panned the company's clinical trial results for Serada. The drug, which is intended to treat hot flashes related to menopause, met only one one of four co-primary goals in late-stage trials after 12 weeks.

Depomed was hoping to prove that Serada could help patients achieve a "statistically significant reduction in the frequency and severity of menopausal hot flashes." However, the company confessed that the placebo effect was unexpectedly high in clinical studies.

Muhtar Kent, CEO of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO), took to the pages of The Wall Street Journal to argue against the government's proposed "fat tax" on soda. In a column titled "Coke Didn't Make America Fat," Kent noted that "our industry has become an easy target in this debate." However, he believes the sedentary lifestyle of Americans is to blame for our nation's obesity problem.

"If we're genuinely interested in curbing obesity, we need to take a hard look in the mirror and acknowledge that it's not just about calories in. It's also about calories out," wrote Kent. He also cited the "regressive nature and inherent illogic" of trying to rectify obesity by taxing soft drinks, observing that West Virginia and Arkansas -- two states which currently tax sodas -- are among the states with the highest obesity rates in the nation.

In the wake of COST's report, analyst Brian Sozzi of Wall Street Strategies reiterated his Buy rating and $66 price target on the equity. "In our view, 4Q09 will go a long way in supporting a higher valuation for Costco," wrote Sozzi in a research note this morning. "The company has managed to control costs, drive traffic to its warehouses consistently throughout the economic downturn, paid $300 million in annual dividends in FY09 (payout ratio of 26.0% second to only Wal-Mart in the sector), and has catalysts on the horizon to showcase earnings power above currently modeled for consensus EPS."

Snacks-and-soda stalwart PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE: PEP) is scheduled to unveil its third-quarter results before the market opens this Thursday, Oct. 8. Heading into the report, analysts are expecting PEP to bank a profit of $1.02 per share, according to Thomson Reuters, fractionally lower than its year-ago earnings of $1.06 per share.

PepsiCo has a healthy history in the earnings spotlight, having exceeded Wall Street's consensus expectations in each of the previous three quarters. Judging by recent option activity, traders are speculating on another upside surprise from the Frito-Lay firm.

Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. (NYSE: HOV) announced Monday morning that it will sell up to $775 million (WSJ subscription required) of seven-year notes in order to fund its previously reported tender offer for up to $759.3 million in debt. The struggling homebuilder also reported that $877 million of the notes were tendered by the early deadline on Friday. As a result, Hovnanian reduced the maximum amount of unsecured notes it will buy from $130 million to $100 million.

Last week, a Wall Street Journal article noted that Hovnanian is "hobbled" by its debt, even as the rest of the industry is ready to buy up land at a bargain. As of July 31, Hovnanian's net debt accounted for 109% of total capital, compared to an average of 26% for the dozen major homebuilders tracked by research firm Zelman & Associates.

Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) is a true Goliath in the online world, exerting its dominance in search, Web-based e-mail, maps, software, and more. Despite this fact -- or perhaps because of it -- it seems that tech companies can't wait to do battle with Google. IBM (NYSE: IBM) is the latest rival to throw down the gauntlet, with the company launching its own internet-based e-mail service for businesses.

The new service, known as LotusLive iNotes, is geared toward employees who might not be able to access their company e-mail remotely. The no-frills program features basic applications such as messaging, calendar, and contact management. LotusLive iNotes is being offered at prices as low as $3 per user per month. (Google's Google Apps service, with e-mail and Web-based applications including word processing, is priced at $50 per user annually.)