Ticker-Tape Parade: Ameritrade Buys NDB Stake, Entergy Tops Estimates

Ameritrade(AMTD Quote) disclosed plans to acquire a stake in National Discount Brokers, an Internet brokerage wing of Deutsche Bank, in a stock deal valued at $154 million. Ameritrade said the acquisition would add about 316,000 customers to its current base. The deal will also add about $67 million to Ameritrade's revenue.

Earnings Reports & Warnings:

Cooper Cameron(CAM Quote) reported second-quarter earnings of 51 cents a share this morning. Analysts expected the company to earn 46 cents. In the year-ago period, Cooper Cameron earned 36 cents a share. The company expects third-quarter income of 60 cents a share, slightly below the consensus estimate of 61 cents, and full-year earnings of $2.10 to $2.20. Analysts are looking for earnings of $2.17 a share for the year.

Entergy(ETR Quote) posted second-quarter earnings of $1.06 a share, beating analysts' expectations of 95 cents a share. The company earned 98 cents a share a year ago. The company also reaffirmed its guidance for earnings of $3 to $3.20 a share for the current year, and for $3.30 to $3.50 a share in 2002.

HealthSouth(HRC Quote) reported earnings of 21 cents a share for the second quarter. The company earned 17 cents a share a year ago. The company pinned the increase to higher prices and increased volume at outpatient and rehabilitation centers. The company beat its earlier guidance of 20 cents a share provided in June, which matched analysts' estimates.

Verizon(VZ Quote) reported second-quarter income of 77 cents a share, in line with estimates, and above the profit of 72 cents a share recorded in the year-ago period. But the company cut its growth outlook for the full year. Verizon now expects full-year revenue growth of 5% to 6%, down from its prior guidance of 7% growth.

Mergers, Acquisitions & Joint Ventures:

RSA Security(RSAS Quote) said Tuesday morning that it would purchase privately held Securant Tech for $136.5 million in cash, in a move that would add authorization-technology to its product line. RSA expects the deal to add $3 million to $4 million in third-quarter revenue, but lower the quarter's bottom line by 1 cent to 3 cents a share. The company expects the acquisition to add $5 million to $7 million in fourth-quarter revenue and 2 cents to earnings.

Sony's(SNE Quote) North American unit and Yahoo!(YHOO Quote) signed a multiyear deal to deliver co-branded content and communications tools over the Internet. The companies will work together in multiple areas, including e-commerce, advisory services, content integration and a co-branded Web site.