Earning Plays

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Monday, June 29

H&R Block quarterly income jumps to $2.09 a share(4:59 pm ET)
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- H&R Block Inc. (HRB: news, chart, profile) late Monday reported a fourth-quarter net income of $706.9 million, or $2.09 a share, compared with a profit of $543.6 million, or $1.66 a share, in the same period last year. Revenue slid to $2.47 billion from $2.54 billion a year earlier. Analysts polled by FactSet projected earnings of $2.06 a share on revenue of $2.53 billion. In 2010, the tax services provider expects adjusted earnings of $1.60 to $1.80 a share.

Premier Foods trading matching expectations(2:29 am ET)
LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Premier Foods (UK:PFD: news, chart, profile) said Monday that trading in May and June continued in line with the trends seen in the first four months of the year. The group said it saw good growth in sales for its grocery division and an improving market share in its bread business, although sales of bulk flour declined due to the previously-announced exit from a low-margin contract. Profitability in its chilled foods business has been reduced by higher marketing spend and production costs. The group said expectations for sales and profit for the year are unchanged.

Informa sees trading in line with expectations(2:22 am ET)
LONDON (MarketWatch) -- U.K. publishing and events group Informa (UK:INF: news, chart, profile) said Monday that it is continuing to trade in line with management expectations. The group said its publishing business continued to grow and will benefit from an improved operating profit margin after further cost-cutting. In events and training, revenue in the first six months of the year will be considerably lower than a year earlier as the group has cut volume in the face of weak demand. Restructuring costs for the year to data are around 10 million pounds, with annualized savings of around 20 million pounds.
Sunday, June 28

Elpida gains on report of $2.1 billion in aid(9:38 pm ET)
LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Shares in Elpida Memory Inc. (JP:6665: news, chart, profile) (ELPDF: news, chart, profile) traded 6.5% higher midmorning in Tokyo after a weekend report saying it could receive up to 200 billion yen ($2.1 billion) in funding support. Japan's Nikkei newspaper reported Saturday that the funding injection for Elpida over the next three years will come from the government-backed Development Bank of Japan and by a public-private fund that supports innovation.