Ultimate Market Recap: Ford Forges Ahead in China, Pandora Pops 9%

Pre-Market BUZZERS: Apple Keeps Customers SATISFIED, Pandora JUMPS Ahead of Earnings

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) shares ticked slightly higher in early trading. A recent study by NPD Group found that nearly 60 percent of previous customers who have had an experience with Apple’s tech support are likely to purchase another product from the company. In addition, 90 percent of those who had had an experience with the company’s technical support, said they were “extremely” or “very” satisfied with it.

Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) shares closed 1 percent higher on Tuesday, and continue to climb in early trading. In response to Facebook’s initial public offering debacle, SEC Chairwoman Mary Schapiro says in a letter to Representative Darrel Issa (R-Calif.) that her staff is reviewing rules about what information companies can release prior to their offerings, according to Reuters, which obtained a copy of the letter.

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Shares of Pandora Media (NYSE:P) jumped over 4 percent in early trading. The internet radio company is set to report earnings on Wednesday and many are expecting it to announce a profit for the second quarter. Analysts expect sales to increase 33 percent to reach $100.9 million. Competitor Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ:SIRI) traded flat.

Zynga (NASDAQ:ZNGA) shares are trading down 1.5 percent this morning. AppData reports the company’s The Ville is failing to attract more users. The game’s daily active users base is estimated to have declined 43 percent over the past month to just 4.1 million.

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Wall Street Brief: Apple is Getting PREPARED, GM Faces CHALLENGES in Europe

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) offered Taiwan Semiconductor (NYSE:TSM) more than $1 billion each to secure chip production capacity, but it was rejected in an effort to maintain flexibility, reported Bloomberg. Qualcomm has started looking at other sources while Apple has supposedly been shifting production of its app processors away from Samsung (SSNLF.PK) to Taiwan Semiconductor.

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WellPoint (NYSE:WLP) Chairperson and CEO Angela Braly has resigned, falling to shareholder pressure after the company’s recent poor performance. In the interim, EVP John Cannon will take over as CEO during the search for a replacement. Top director Jackie Ward has been named non-executive chair.

While GM (NYSE:GM) faces struggles in Europe, it will invest $1 billion over the next five years in the fast-growing Russia market. Tim Lee, a GM executive, said that the company which manufactures vehicles at three Russian sites, plans to use a portion of the cash to raise capacity.

ING (NYSE:ING) might sell its $1 billion Hong Kong insurance unit separately from its other Asian operations, reported Reuters. This could speed up the process and glean an improved value from a potential buyer focused only on Hong Kong. It may also allow ING to accept lower bids for its South Korean and Japanese businesses, which hasn’t gone well so far.

KKR (NYSE:KKR) is supposedly in negotiations to invest about YEN100 billion ($1.3 billion) in Renesas (RNECY.PK) in a deal that would give the private equity firm a controlling interest in the company; it is owned by NEC, Hitachi and Mitsubishi Electric (MIELF.PK). The rumors led to Renesas’ shares jumping 35 percent in Tokyo.

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WellPoint CEO RESIGNS and 4 Hot Stocks Trading Now

H.J. Heinz Company’s (NYSE:HNZ)) emerging-market expansion, careful cost management, and productivity efforts should come together to support a strong profit and the stock, states Barron’s. Trading at nearly 15.6x estimated earnings for 2013, Heinz stock does not have an outrageous value, especially considering the strength of the business. Additionally, the shares boast an attractive 3.7 percent yield. Shares of H.J. Heinz Company are trading 2.28% lower today.

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Joy Global Inc. (NYSE:JOY): Actions concerning part of a program intended to transform the company’s operations in line with future actions will result in nearly $40 million of annual cost savings in 2013. The company states, “Although the U.S. market has progressed in line with our expectations, the deceleration of China demand has deteriorated international markets more quickly and severely than previously expected. Shares of Joy Global Inc. are trading 4.28% lower today.

WellPoint, Inc. (NYSE:WLP): Bending to intense pressure from investors, the chairwoman and chief executive of health insurance giant WellPoint Inc. quickly resigned, and the company chose an interim CEO. The nation’s second-largest health insurer, running Anthem Blue Cross in California, announced late on Tuesday that Angela Braly, 51, resigned effective immediately. WellPoint, running Blue Cross plans in 14 states and possessing over 33 million customers nationwide, labeled John Cannon, its general counsel, as interim CEO. Shares of WellPoint, Inc. are trading 7.48% higher today.

The Fresh Market Inc (NASDAQ:TFM) reports a Q2 revenue totaling $313 million, consensus $307.99 million. Shares of The Fresh Market Inc are trading 0.51% higher today.

Cisco (NYSE:CSCO) along with EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC) took today to announce further collaboration to assist in the acceleration of IT transformation by giving customers unrivaled choice and flexibility through its “three paths to the cloud,” which are custom-design infrastructure, validated reference architectures, and pre-integrated converged infrastructure.  Cisco^® and EMC^® introduced new joint reference architectures, aligned channel partner incentives, and integrated customer support to accelerates customers’ path to the cloud.

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Morning BUZZERS: Apple Near $675, Pandora FALLS Over 1%

Shares of H.J. Heinz (NYSE:HNZ) fell 2.3 percent this morning, despite reporting a boost in quarterly profits. For the quarter ended July 29, the company earned $258 million (87 cents per share), compared to $226.1 million (70 cents per share) a year earlier. However, revenue decreased 1.5 percent to $2.79 billion in the same period.

Frontline (NYSE:FRO) shares have plunged more than 10 percent. The company reported a second quarter loss of $24.3 million (31 cents per share), compared to a loss of $35.2 million (45 cents per share) a year earlier. Operating revenue also fell 20 percent to $176.6 million, and Frontline will not pay a dividend for the second quarter.

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Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) shares are trading relatively flat today. A recent study by NPD Group found that nearly 60 percent of previous customers who have had an experience with Apple’s tech support are likely to purchase another product from the company. In addition, 90 percent of those who had had an experience with the company’s technical support, said they were “extremely” or “very” satisfied with it.

Pandora Media (NYSE:P) shares fell over 1 percent this morning. The internet radio company is set to report earnings after Wednesday’s closing bell and many are expecting it to announce a profit for the second quarter. Analysts believe sales will increase 33 percent to reach $100.9 million. Competitor Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ:SIRI) remains flat this morning.

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Ford EXPANDS in China and 4 Hot Stocks Buzzing on the Street

Lexmark International Inc (NYSE:LXK):  Lexmark International Inc. announced that they plan on restructuring the company and will stop the development and manufacturing of their remaining inkjet hardware, which is expected to result in an annual savings of $95 million once fully implemented. In addition to this, approximately 1,700 positions worldwide will be eliminated.  Shares of Lexmark  are trading at 1.83% lower today.

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Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS):  Morgan Stanley’s David Barrett, who was in charge of a unit that raised money for hedge funds and private companies, is leaving after 22 years.  Barrett ran the New York based firm’s private capital markets business, where he reported to client-solutions head, Wylie Collins, and equity capital markets co-heads, John Moore and Paul Donahue. Barrett is considering positions at several hedge funds.

Discovery Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:DSCO):  Shares of Discovery Laboratories, Inc., a biotechnology company engaged in the development of surfactant therapies that treat respiratory disorders and diseases, continued to rally in Tuesday’s trading session.  The penny stock of DSCO ended the day 14.59% higher at $3.22, touching an intra-day high of $3.27. DSCO shares have now gained more than 14% in the last three trading sessions. Shares of Discovery Laboratories, Inc. are trading 2.48% lower today.

BP Prudhoe Bay Royalty Trust (NYSE:BPT):  BP Prudhoe Bay Royalty Trust has continued to lose ground in early trade. Shares are now down 10.03 at $83.43 on above average volume. The company stocks have been sharply declining for the past week and a half and have fallen to their second consecutive, new low for the year. Shares of BP Prudhoe Bay Royalty Trust are trading at 8.78% lower today.

Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F): Ford Motor Co (NYSE:F)  has decided to release their Lincoln brand in China in the next two years. Hopefully, this will meet the growing demand of clients all over the world. Ford has recently earned decent profits despite the current economic crunch that is sweeping across the United States, however the company did not reveal exactly how much they earned. Recent estimates showed that Ford has invested more than $5 billion since 2006 in a market where they trail behind their close rivals, General Motors (NYSE:GM) and Volkswagen.

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Delta Gets HI-TECH and 4 Hot Stocks to Watch

Delta Airlines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) today begins the deployment of over 250 iPads within three new restaurants on Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport’s Concourse G. Delta still transforms the airport experience by providing travelers a new level of access to high-quality food and hi-tech amenities.

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Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC): Several companies in Southern Europe will go all over the world for funding as local bank lending falls, and many are generating money by tapping assets in healthier regions like Latin America and the U.S., reports the Wall Street Journal. Bank lending to companies within the euro zone year to date has fallen 43 percent from the previous year, and has fallen 68 percent within five years, reports Dealogic. Shares of Bank of America Corporation are trading 0.88% higher today.

General Motors (NYSE:GM) states that it will double Cadillac’s U.S. sales volume to nearly 294,000 vehicles “within the next couple of years” as it tries to regain the U.S. luxury-car leadership it lost years ago, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE:TM), the larges car maker in Japan, stated on Wednesday that its domestic output increased 30.1 percent in July from the previous year, with sales rising up to 65.8 percent due to to demand for models like the Prius hybrid, the recently launched Aqua compact hybrid as well as other small cars. Shares of Toyota Motor Corporation are trading 0.05% higher today.

General Electric (NYSE:GE): GE Aviation announced today that it was awarded a contract worth almost $9 million to support surveillance systems like the U.S. Marine Corps Ground-Based Operation Surveillance System (G-BOSS) program. This contract includes the inertial reference unit, lab testing assets, integration, repairs, and engineering support for the program. The work is to occur at GE’s facility in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with deliveries beginning this year and ending during Q3 of 2017.

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Radar Movers: Pandora and TiVo SURGE Higher After Posting Losses

Shares of Pandora Media (NYSE:P) jumped more than 9 percent in late afternoon hours. The Internet radio company reported that its loss for the second quarter widened to $5.4 million, compared to a loss of $1.8 million a year earlier. However, revenue surged 33.5 percent to $89.4 million, beating estimates of $74.3 million. “This quarter exceeded our expectations as our strong momentum continues with both listeners and advertisers,” stated Joe Kennedy, chief executive officer. “In particular, this quarter demonstrated that our mobile monetization strategies are working.” Pandora also raised its full-year revenue forecast. Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ:SIRI) shares were unchanged on the news.

Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA) shares plunged almost 10 percent in late trading. The handbag maker announced quarterly earnings of $13.4 million (33 cents per share), compared to $13.6 million (34 cents per share) a year earlier. Analysts were expecting earnings of 35 cents per share. The company now expects to earning between $1.60 and $1.63 per share for the full year, down from the earlier forecast of $1.68 to $1.71 per share.

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TiVo (NASDAQ:TIVO) shares popped 5.25 percent in late afternoon trading. The company announced that it lost $27.7 million in the second quarter, compared to a loss of $19.6 million a year earlier. Revenue increased 6.7 percent to $65.3 million, though. Analyst had expected revenue of only $54.9 million. Tom Rogers, TiVo’s CEO, said, “This was another solid quarter for TiVo as we achieved our financial guidance, gained more subscriptions within our current distribution relationships, signed new distribution deals, deepened our capabilities in the audience research business, and showcased the benefits of our R&D investment through the delivery of the TiVo experience via virtually any kind of operator infrastructure and through tablets, smartphones, and computers.

After closing 1.24 percent in the red, Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) shares continued to fall lower in late afternoon hours, despite receiving a rare positive note. Victor Anthony, senior analyst covering media and internet at Topeka Capital Markets, has a Buy rating on shares with a $36 price target in 18 months.

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