Stocks to Watch: Macrovision Climbs, but Aquila Slides

Winners

Dynegy (DYN Quote) was up 23% to $17 after the energy company successfully completed an arrangement that will provide it with $900 million in financing. The company also reported first-quarter recurring earnings of 41 cents a share. When calculated according to generally accepted accounting principles, the company lost 41 cents.

Macrovision (MVSN Quote) posted first-quarter earnings of 18 cents a share, excluding items, 2 cents ahead of expectations. The company earned 6 cents including items. The day after the earnings report, the stock was up 19% to $23.10. Macrovision, which provides copy protection and license management technologies, expects earnings, before items, of 84 cents to 88 cents a share for the year with revenue of $103 million to $108 million. The second quarter will be roughly flat with the first quarter. Analysts expect earnings of 20 cents in the second quarter and 85 cents for 2002.

ScanSoft (SSFT Quote) was rising 20% to $6.45 following the company's first-quarter earnings report. The company said revenue rose to $23.8 million from $12.5 million in the year-ago quarter, and before charges, earnings totaled 4 cents a share. Including items, the maker of digital imaging products and speech recognition software lost 6 cents. ScanSoft forecast full-year earnings of 26 cents a share, 2 cents above the estimate of the one analyst who follows the company.

Sierra Health Services (SIE Quote) was climbing 13% to $18.08 a day after the company reported first-quarter income from continuing operations of 25 cents a share, easily beating estimates. The health care services provider now expects to post earnings of $1.02 to $1.05 a share for 2002. Analysts are looking for 83 cents.

Losers

Alaska Communications (ALSK Quote) was losing 14% to $5.40 ahead of the company's quarterly earnings release, which is scheduled for after the close of trading. Analysts expect the company, which offers communications services in Alaska, to lose 5 cents a share in the first quarter.

Aquila (ILA Quote) was falling 10% to $15.26 on news the company will acquire privately held Cogentrix Energy for $415 million. Aquila, an energy company formerly known as UtiliCorp United, will also assume around $1.1 billion of Cogentrix Energy's debt.

Integrated circuits maker GlobespanVirata (GSPN Quote) was dropping 31% to $5.98 on the heels of the company's first-quarter loss. The company said it lost a penny a share in the latest quarter, excluding items. Revenue for the quarter fell 20%.