LargeCap Stocks to Watch Today

Tomahawk, WI 4/18/2012 (StreetBeat) -- eBay (EBAY), the online auctioneer, is expected by analysts Wednesday to report first-quarter earnings of 52 cents a share on revenue of $3.15 billion.

Think Equity is bullish on eBay, and it is expecting both PayPal and the company's Marketplaces businesses to do well.

"We believe eBay will report 1Q12 results that are above our projections on revenue and in line on pro forma earnings per share," said the firm in a preview of eBay's results. "Intra-quarter channel checks across Marketplaces have come back largely positive and we believe the extra shopping day in February and mix-shift to fixed price should help overall growth."

Qualcomm (QCOM), the wireless chipmaker, is expected to post fiscal second-quarter earnings of 96 cents a share on revenue of $4.84 billion.

Yahoo! (YHOO) posted better-than-expected first-quarter results.

Yahoo! earned 23 cents a share on revenue of $1.08 billion. Analysts were expecting profit of 17 cents a share on revenue of $1.06 billion.

The Internet company also gave stronger-than-expected second-quarter revenue guidance.

On the Yahoo! conference call Tuesday, CEO Scott Thompson announced the company is cutting 50 properties, but didn't say which properties were being unloaded.

Thompson was also asked about the sale of its Asian assets, and noted that Yahoo! is "continuing to pursue active discussions with Alibaba."

Intel (INTC) topped Wall Street's first-quarter expectations but forecast a decline in gross margins in the second quarter.

Intel reported non-GAAP earnings of $2.9 billion, or 56 cents a share, on revenue of $12.9 billion for the first quarter; analysts were calling for profit of 50 cents a share in the March-ended quarter on revenue of $12.84 billion.

For the second quarter ending in June, Intel said it expects revenue of $13.6 billion, plus or minus $500 million, which compares to the current Wall Street consensus view for revenue of $13.45 billion. Gross margin for the second quarter is forecast at between 62%-63% on a non-GAAP basis, a decline from a non-GAAP gross margin of 65.1% in the first quarter.

IBM (IBM) missed Wall Street's first-quarter revenue forecast.

IBM, on Tuesday, reported revenue of $24.67 billion and earnings of $2.78 a share, compared with $24.6 billion and $2.41 in the same period last year. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expected IBM to report revenue of $24.77 billion and earnings of $2.65 a share.

Two components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average issue results on Wednesday: American Express (AXP) and United Technologies (UTX).

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United Technologies to Buy Goodrich for $18.5 Billion

Tomahawk, WI 9/22/2011 (PennyPayDay) – Industrial conglomerate United Technologies Corp. is buying aerospace manufacturer Goodrich Corp. in a deal valued at $18.4 billion, including the assumption of $1.9 billion in debt.

The deal had been rumored for days, sending Goodrich's shares soaring. The stock was up more than 11 percent to $122 in aftermarket trading after word of the deal broke late Wednesday.

United Technologies said it will pay $127.50 a share in cash for Goodrich, which is based in Charlotte, N.C., and has 27,000 employees.

The total deal value amounts to a 16 percent premium over Goodrich's closing stock price Wednesday of $109.49. It's a 47 percent premium above the stock's price last Thursday, before word of a pending deal first leaked.

Hartford, Conn.-based United Technologies said it expects to finance the deal through a combination of debt and by issuing stock. The equity component of the deal is expected to be about 25 percent of the transaction, the company said.

United Technologies owns Carrier heating and cooling, Otis elevator, jet engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney and other businesses.

It said it anticipates that the combined companies will have annual sales of about $66 billion, as United Technologies strengthens its position in the aerospace and defense industries when it takes on Goodrich. United Technology is forecasting 2011 revenue of $58 billion. Goodrich is expected to have 2011 revenue of around $8 billion.

"Goodrich delivers on all of our acquisition criteria," Louis Chenevert, United Technologies' chairman and CEO, said in a statement.

Under the terms of the deal, United Technologies is forming an aerospace business unit that will be based in Charlotte and led by Goodrich Chairman, President and CEO Marshall Larsen.

In a statement, Larsen said the deal delivers immediate cash value to Goodrich's shareholders at a premium that reflects the strength of its business.

Goodrich shares gained $12.51, or 11.4 percent, to $122 in aftermarket trading. They slipped $2.33, or 2.1 percent, during the regular trading session.

United Technologies' shares fell 87 cents to $74 in aftermarket trading. The stock slipped $1.14 to end the regular session at $74.87.

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