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Shares of Vical Incorporated (Nasdaq:VICL) jumped +7.21% to $4.61 on Friday and continue to show some firepower following news that it has granted a global license to Japan's Astellas Pharma Inc. (TOKYO:4503). At the end of last week, both companies announced that they have signed exclusive license agreements for the United States and for all territories in the rest of world outside the United States to develop and commercialize TransVax(TM), Vical's therapeutic vaccine designed to control cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation in transplant recipients. The companies expect to begin a multinational Phase 3 registration trial of TransVax in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients as well as a Phase 2 trial in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients in the first half of 2012. The companies expect to begin a multinational, Phase 3 registration trial of the cytomegalovirus vaccine, dubbed TransVax, in certain stem-cell transplant recipients. They also plan a Phase 2 trial in solid organ transplant recipients in the first half of next year. Cytomegalovirus...

Delta Air Lines Inc (NYSE: DAL) is expected to report its Q2 EPS at $0.47 on revenue of $9.16 billion. Gannett Co Inc (NYSE: GCI) is projected to report its Q2 EPS at $0.57 on revenue of $1.33 billion. Brown & Brown Inc (NYSE: BRO) is expected to post its Q2 EPS at $0.31 on revenue of $257.92 million. International Business Machines Corp (NYSE: IBM) is projected to report its Q2 EPS at $3.03 on revenue of $25.35 billion. Halliburton Company (NYSE: HAL) is estimated to report its Q2 EPS at $0.73 on revenue of $5.69 billion. Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE: PKG) is projected to post its Q2 EPS at $0.35 on revenue of $632.21 million. Check Point Software Technologies Ltd (NASDAQ: CHKP) is expected to report its Q2 EPS at $0.66 on revenue of $295.93 million. Charles Schwab Corporation (The) (NYSE: SCHW) is estimated to report its Q2 EPS at $0.20 on revenue of $1.20 billion. ICU Medical Inc (NASDAQ: ICUI) is projected to report its...

CNBC Fast Money's Brian Stutland thinks that it would be wise to buy iShares Silver Trust (ETF) (NYSE: SLV) tomorrow. iShares Silver Trust (ETF) (SLV) gained 5.77%, and closed at $37.23. Guy Adami is also bullish on silver, and Stephen Weiss wants to buy SPDR KBW Regional Banking (ETF) (NYSE: KRE) on Thursday. SPDR KBW Regional Banking (ETF) (KRE) gained 0.87% today, and it closed at $25.61. Karen Finerman thinks that JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) is a buy. JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) gained 0.58% today, and closed at $39.62. Joe Terranova said that he will be adding to his long position in Toyota Motor Corporation (ADR) (NYSE: TM) tomorrow.   

On CNBC's Mad Money, Jim Cramer said during the Lightning Round that Atlas Energy (NYSE: ATLS) is a “terrific stock that's undervalued. That company is very attractive." Cramer likes Magna International (NYSE: MGA) and the auto parts business. He added, “I also like Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI) but Magna fits into that thesis." For Crocs (NASDAQ: CROX), Jim said, "I'll be honest; I missed the move. I'd say take profits. I should have pulled the trigger but I missed it." He said that he “likes Southwestern Energy (NYSE: SWN) but they have too much natural gas and oil is where the money is." For Chimera Investment (NYSE: CIM), Cramer said, "No, that's not what we want to own.   

Cardtronics (CATM) may have missed on its last EPS number, but analyst and investors are still buying in. Estimates are showing double-digit growth and shares are currently a Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy). Company Description Cardtronics is the biggest non-bank owner of ATMs. The company has over 33,000 machines in the North America and the U.K. Popular locations include 7-Eleven, Chevron, Costco and others. Additionally, they offer services to small banks and other card issuers at over 12,000 locations. Miss, but a Good Quarter Even though the company fell short of bottom-line expectations, analysts and investors still liked the results enough to keep buying shares. Revenue for the first quarter were up 8%, to $138 according to the Apr 28 press release. Margins also improved as well as transaction counts. Earnings per share came in 2 cents below expectations though, at $0.22. That miss snapped a 4-quarter streak of beating expectations. But they could get back on track when they report again, which should be...

When Martin Warner brought Michelmersh Brick (LON:MBH) to the Alternative Investment Market in 2004, he had already built the business into the largest producer of handmade bricks in the UK. Since starting the business in the late 1990s, Warner and Chairman Eric Gadsden have built a portfolio of niche players supplying local markets and now oversee a group that owns most of the top-end brick makers in the country. Indeed, it was one of Michelmersh’s divisions, Charnwood Forest Brick that supplied the facing bricks for the regeneration of the prestigious Grade 1 listed London St Pancras Station. He believes the company is now well placed to grow in a market that is expected to see significant shifts in power among the industry’s main players in the near future. Last year there were 1.35 billion bricks produced in the UK – a near halving of the 2006 figure of 2.5 billion. The country’s house building sector, which collapsed during the economic...

Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM) will be reporting its second-quarter 2011 results Wednesday, July 13, after the markets close. Investors will be watching to see if analysts are correct that growth in China and emerging markets will offset recent struggles at the company's Taco Bell unit. Analysts are looking for the company to report per-share earnings of $0.61, which is up from $0.58 per share in the same period of last year. The consensus earnings estimate is unchanged in the past 60 days. Analysts also expect to see revenues of $2.7 billion, an increase of 4.8% from a year ago. Note that Yum! Brands has topped consensus earnings estimates in recent quarters but it missed expectations by a penny per share in the first quarter. Analysts so far are looking for sequential and year-over-year growth of both earnings and revenue for the current quarter. The Company Louisville, Kentucky-based Yum! Brands is the world's largest quick-service restaurant operator (by number of locations) with around 37,000 restaurants...

S&P 500: 1343.78 Short-Term Trend: sideways Outlook: Everything goes as expected here as the market is believed to be in wave D of a Contracting Triangle from the Feb 2011 top. The only thing that bothers me is the fact that Nasdaq 100 has already surpassed its May top (it was only intra-day, but still, such a move counts!). So, there is a chance that wave (X) has already ended at the June's low. We will have a confirmation of this bullish view if S&P500 overcomes the 1370 level. Until the 1370 level is taken out however, we will continue to follow our Triangle analysis that suggests one final leg lower twd 1300/1290 before the next big rally starts here.... Strategy: Stand aside.

In Brief An investing strategy of buying prior winning stocks and selling short prior losers based on the empirical observation that Investments exhibit persistence in their relative performance. As George Chestnutt wrote back in 1965: “Which is the best policy?  To buy a strong stock that is leading the advance or to quot;shop aroundquot; for a quot;sleeperquot; or quot;behind-the-marketquot; stock in the hope that it will catch up?  . … Many more times than not, it is better to buy the  leaders and leave the laggards alone.  In the market, as in many other  phases of life, quot;the strong get stronger, and the weak get weaker." Background Buying winners inherently conflicts with the contrarian philosophy that is part and parcel of many successful investors. Nevertheless, it has long been noted by traders that good performing investments tend to continue to do so, whereas those that have performed relatively poorly tend to continue on the same path. Momentum investing is not to be confused with growth investing, short-term price acceleration,...

Who says the paper industry can't be glamorous? Kadant Inc. (KAI) is trading near multi-year highs as earnings are expected to jump by over 50% in 2011. This Zacks #1 Rank (strong buy) is also a value stock, with a forward P/E of 14.6. Kadant supplies technology-based systems to the global pulp and paper industries through fluid handling which transfer fluids, steam or air between rotating cylinders and fixed piping, doctoring which involves cleaning roll surfaces to keep machines running, and water-management equipment designed to clean fabrics. Some of its businesses have been in operation for over 100 years. The company has employees in 16 countries. No Surprise...But Kadant Surprised Again in Q1 On Apr 27, Kadant reported first quarter results and, surprise!, beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the 20th consecutive time. It is an impressive earnings surprise history going back 5 years. Very few companies were able to keep their earnings surprise streaks alive during the Great Recession. Check out the rare perfect score...