Early Stocks in Motion

Abercrombie & Fitch(ANF Quote) said it earned $40.4 million, or 45 cents a share, for the first quarter ended April 30, up from $29.3 million, or 30 cents a share, a year ago. Revenue for the quarter was $546.8 million. Analysts expected profits of 42 cents on revenue of $535.5 million, according to Thomson First Call. The stock was downgraded Wednesday at Bank of America and was recently off $1.99, or 3.4%, to $57.

Applied Materials(AMAT Quote) said it earned $305 million, or 18 cents a share, for the second quarter ended May 1, compared with $373 million, or 22 cents a share, a year ago. Revenue for the quarter was $1.86 billion. Analysts expected earnings of 17 cents a share on revenue of $1.8 billion, according to Thomson First Call. In a post-earnings conference call, the company put earnings in the current quarter at 12 cents to 14 cents a share, below the 17-cent Wall Street estimate. The stock was recently off 43 cents, or 2.7%, to $15.61.

Nordstrom(JWN Quote) said it earned $104.5 million, or 75 cents a share, for the first quarter ended April 30, vs. $68.7 million, or 48 cents a share, a year ago. Revenue for the quarter was $1.65 billion. Analysts expected profits of 70 cents a share on revenue of $1.62 billion, according to Thomson First Call. For 2005, the company expects to earn $3.40 to $3.50 a share, up from its previous forecast of $3.25 to $3.35 a share, and above Wall Street's estimate of $3.38 a share. The company also raised its dividend 31% to 17 cents. The stock was up $1.68, or 2.93%, to $59 in after-hours trading. ...