Monday
On the sudsy side of the dot-com bubble, CMGI (NASDAQ:CMGI) was an Internet darling serving as a venture capitalist incubator for promising companies. When those promises were broken and valuations became grounded in a little something that we like to call fundamentals, CMGI got pounded. It's not doing so hot these days as it gears up to post its fiscal first-quarter numbers. With its stock trading for a buck and change, it may also have to answer to wounded investors attending CMGI's annual shareholder meeting come Wednesday.
While revenue was down by 9% in fiscal 2004, the company's operating deficit was trimmed back substantially. Sure, the market won't forgive CMGI until it starts growing its top line again and turns operating losses into operating profits. That's the beauty of Wall Street. It doles out second chances to broken stocks every three months.
Tuesday
Take Freddy Krueger and rhyme it with grocer and you'll likely come up with Kroger (NYSE:KR). Yet it's more than just a nightmare on Elm Street here as the supermarket chain continues to spook and struggle all over town. Its most recent quarter was a horror show as earnings fell by 25%.
Part of the pain was the handiwork of one-time knocks like debt-restructuring charges and the fallout from the 141-day labor strike in California. With those items out of the way, the company will have few excuses when it scans its third-quarter results and the market hollers "price check!" Squeezed by warehouse clubs on the low end and upscale health food chains on the high end, Kroger is running out of room in the middle.
Wednesday
Between the box office success of Shark Tale and the popular DVD release of Shrek2, it should be an animated showing for DreamWorks Animation (NYSE:DWA) in its first quarterly report as a public company.
The company has an ambitious production schedule as it looks to put out two animated features a year. Market leader and Motley Fool Stock Advisor recommendation Pixar (NASDAQ:PIXR) has never released more than one computer-rendered flick a year.
While a cynic would be right in pointing out that DreamWorks Animation has lost money during three of the last four years, the company's recent film successes should provide a steady stream of profitability for now.
Thursday
Microchip stocks have their ups and downs. Perhaps that's why it's notable to consider that National Semiconductor (NYSE:NSM) has turned a profit during nine of the 10 previous quarters. The analog chip specialist looks to stretch its winning streak when it announces its fiscal second-quarter numbers on Thursday.
Yet even bottom-line consistency isn't enough to provide a smooth ride. How well investors have fared in National Semiconductor depends on when they hopped aboard. Shareholders who bought a year ago are showing a small paper loss, while those who picked up on the story two years ago have seen their investment triple. So, yes, the ups and downs are definitely still there.
Friday
Never heard of Hayes Lemmerz (NASDAQ:HAYZ)? No, it's not the next great rock band or that downtown law firm. The company is actually the country's leading maker of steel and aluminum wheels for cars. So is it safe to say that how well the company does usually depends on how its biggest customer -- General Motors (NYSE:GM) -- makes out? If so, the creative financing and chunky rebates that the carmaker seems to be offering these days doesn't exactly bode well for Hayes Lemmerz.
Yet the wheel and automotive parts maker is rolling along just fine if you stop at the top line. Sales have inched 10% higher through the first half of its fiscal year. Unfortunately, high steel and iron costs have hurt Hayes Lemmerz. It has failed to turn a profit so far this year. So maybe it's not too late for that next great rock band idea.
Until next week I remain,
Rick Aristotle Munarriz
Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz will be at the open band audition for Hayes Lemmerz before it heads out on its 2005 world tour. He owns shares in Pixar. He is a member of the Rule Breakers analytical team, seeking out tomorrow's great growth stocks today.
