Stocks to Watch: Yahoo!, Ford, Pfizer, Amazon

NEW YORK -- Yahoo! (YHOO) reported a fourth-quarter revenue increase of 4% from a year earlier and adjusted profit exceeded analysts' expectations.

On a non-GAAP basis, Yahoo! earned 32 cents a share in the fourth quarter on revenue of $1.22 billion. Analysts were looking for earnings of 28 cents a share on revenue of $1.21 billion.

"I'm proud of Yahoo!'s 2012 and fourth quarter results. In 2012, Yahoo! exhibited revenue growth for the first time in 4 years, with revenue up 2 percent year-over-year," said Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer, in a press release on Monday. "During the quarter we made progress by growing our executive team, signing key partnerships including those with NBC Sports and CBS Television, and launching terrific mobile experiences for Yahoo! Mail and Flickr. At the same time, we achieved tremendous internal transformation in the culture, energy and execution of the Company."

In the fourth quarter, search revenue excluding traffic acquisition costs came in 14% higher at $427 million. For the full year, search revenue ex-TAC was $1.61 billion, up 9% from last year.

For the first quarter, Yahoo! expects to generate between $1.07 billion and $1.1 billion in revenue. For the full year, Yahoo! expects sales of between $4.5 billion and $4.6 billion.

Yahoo! Earnings Shows Signs of Life

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Ford (F), the second-largest U.S. automaker, is expected by analysts Tuesday to report fourth-quarter earnings of 26 cents a share on revenue of $32.96 billion.

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Drugmaker Pfizer (PFE) is expected by Wall Street Tuesday to report earnings of 44 cents a share in the fourth quarter on revenue of $14.4 billion.

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Amazon.com (AMZN) is expected by analysts Tuesday to post fourth-quarter earnings of 27 cents a share on revenue of $22.26 billion.

The world's largest online retailer posted year-earlier earnings of $177 million, or 38 cents a share, on revenue of $17.43 billion.

The holiday quarter is by far the biggest for Amazon, which routinely posts double-digit percentage revenue increases.

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VMware (VMW) topped analysts' fourth-quarter revenue and earnings estimates but issued weaker-than-expected guidance.

The software maker reported revenue of $1.29 billion, a 22% increase from a year earlier and above Wall Street's estimate of $1.28 billion.

Excluding items, VMware earned 81 cents a share, up from 62 cents a share a year earlier. Analysts were looking for earnings of 78 cents a share.

VMware said Monday it expects first-quarter sales of between $1.17 billion and $1.19 billion, below analysts' forecasts of $1.25 billion. It sees fiscal 2013 revenue of $5.23 billion to $5.35 billion, well below Wall Street's prediction of $5.42 billion.

The company also disclosed it would cut 900 jobs.

VMware Shares Plummet on Weak Outlook

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Seagate (STX) easily exceeded Wall Street's fiscal second-quarter estimates but issued revenue guidance that was below its prior guidance and analysts' views.

Seagate Stock Slides on Downbeat Forecast

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-- Written by Joseph Woelfel



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