Thursday's Financial Winners & Losers

Allstate (ALL Quote) was climbing a day after posting an increase in its second-quarter earnings and again raising its full-year earnings forecast. The Illinois-based insurance provider earned $1.21 billion, or $1.89 a share, in the quarter, up from $1.15 billion, or $1.71 a share, a year earlier.

Operating earnings, which exclude realized capital gains and losses, rose to $1.27 billion, or $2 a share, from $1.12 billion, or $1.66 a share. The results topped Thomson First Call's mean analyst estimate of $1.61 a share. Revenue rose 1% to $8.88 billion from $8.79 billion. Additionally, Allstate increased its 2006 operating earnings forecast to $6.70 to $7 a share. The stock was up 97 cents, or 1.7%, to $57.12.

Earnings rose at online financial services firm E*Trade (ET Quote) thanks to gains in commission revenue and interest income. E*Trade earned $156.5 million, or 36 cents a share, including a charge of 1 cent a share for acquisitions, up from $101.6 million, or 27 cents a share, last year. Net revenue surged 58% to $611 million. ...