Shares fell 3.6% to $70.50 in after-hours trading, however, as Nordson projected third-quarter earnings and revenue below analysts’ estimates.

For the current quarter, the company forecast per-share earnings of $1 to $1.09 on revenue of $404 million to $419 million. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters recently projected per-share earnings of $1.15 and revenue of $429 million.

Nordson makes manufacturing equipment for applying adhesives, sealants and coatings to a wide variety of products, including boxes, diapers, semiconductors and electronic circuits.

The company made a series of acquisitions last year which have bolstered its recent results, including Xaloy Superior Holdings Inc., a maker of components for injection and extrusion machinery, and EDI Holdings Inc., which makes extrusion dies.

For the quarter ended April 30, Nordson reported a profit of $54.6 million, or 84 cents a share, up from $52.1 million, or 80 cents a share, a year earlier. Excluding severance and restructuring charges, year-ago earnings were 84 cents a share.

Revenue climbed 21% to $382.1 million, including organic volume growth of 7% and a 16% boost from acquisitions, offset by a 2% negative impact from currency translation compared with a year earlier.

The company in February forecast per-share earnings of 78 cents to 87 cents on revenue of $372 million to $387 million.

Operating margin narrowed to 21.5% from 24.4%.

Sales in the adhesive dispensing segment, its largest top-line contributor, were up 27% to $196.4 million.

The advanced technology systems business, which has been benefiting from strong demand in the electronics markets–especially for mobile applications–posted sales growth of 13% to $130 million.

Sales in the industrial coating segment rose 23% to $55.7 million.

Through the close, the stock was up 16% since the start of the year.

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SOURCE: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/nordson-profit-rises-48-on-acquisitions-2013-05-23

“Due to the impact of payroll-tax increases on our core consumer, delayed income-tax refunds and a very slow start to the spring selling season, our business was softer than anticipated, with our comp-store sales declining 3.2%,” said Chief Executive Darren R. Jackson. “We are encouraged by the fact that we have continued to generate positive comp-store sales growth so far through our second quarter.”

The second-largest U.S. auto-parts retailer after AutoZone Inc. (AZO) has posted declining same-store sales over the past year as budget-conscious consumers spend less on auto maintenance and parts. Advance Auto has also made an effort to improve supply-chain efficiencies to help offset higher costs from new store openings.

For the quarter ended April 20, Advance Auto reported a profit of $121.8 million, or $1.65 a share, down from $133.5 million, or $1.79 a share, a year earlier. Sales rose 3% to $2.02 billion.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had most recently forecast earnings of $1.62 a share on revenue of $2.01 billion.

Gross margin edged down to 50% from 50.1%.

Advance Auto said it now expects full-year adjusted earnings to be at the lower end of its prior forecast of $5.45 to $5.60 a share.

Shares closed Wednesday at $85.80 and were inactive premarket. The stock is up 19% so far this year.

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SOURCE: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/advance-auto-parts-profit-falls-88-as-sales-slip-2013-05-23

The U.S. company said it would close down its Australian plants in October 2016 resulting in 1,200 job losses, citing unsustainably high business costs.

“The business case did not stack up,” Ford Australia’s Chief Executive Bob Graziano said in a televised statement on Thursday.

The announcement comes amid the dwindling popularity of some of Ford’s locally-produced cars that have progressively lost business to cheaper and more fuel-efficient cars from Japan and elsewhere. General Motors Co.’s (GM) Australian unit last month said it was cutting 500 jobs, or about 12% of its workforce, citing pressure from the nation’s strong currency.

Write to Enda Curran at enda.curran@wsj.com

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SOURCE: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/ford-to-close-australia-plants-on-costs-2013-05-22-21485369

Synopsys raised its full-year earnings adjusted guidance by two cents to a range of $2.37 to $2.42 a share, while affirming its revenue outlook at between $1.96 billion and $1.98 billion.

For the current quarter, the company expects adjusted earnings between 53 cents and 55 cents a share and revenue between $475 million and $485 million. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters had projected a per-share profit of 57 cents and revenue of $496 million.

Synopsys makes design software for the development and testing of chips. The company has posted stronger core results for almost three years now, as competition among chip makers drives customers to spend more to develop smaller and better-performing designs. Synopsys has benefited from three-year licensing agreements it signs with customers, as well as chip makers’ continued healthy investment in research and development.

For the quarter ended April 30, Synopsys reported a profit of $68.7 million, or 44 cents a share, up from $21 million, or 14 cents a share, a year earlier. Excluding amortization, stock compensation and other items, per-share earnings were higher at 66 cents from 53 cents. Revenue grew 15% to $499.3 million.

In February, the company’s upbeat projections included adjusted earnings between 63 cents and 65 cents a share and revenue between $490 million to $500 million.

Gross margin widened to 78.4% from 76.8%.

Shares closed at $35.40 and were unchanged after hours. Through the close, the stock is up 26% over the past 12 months.

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SOURCE: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/synopsys-second-quarter-profit-triples-2013-05-22

Shares were up 2.4%, to $37.50 after hours, as the company increased its share repurchase program by $1.6 billion and initiated a quarterly cash dividend of 15 cents a share, moves that aim to increase shareholder returns.

The company also said it has undertaken restructuring efforts, including a workforce reduction of 900 employees. It expects to record an aggregate $50 million to $60 million charge relating to employee severance and other restructuring charges.

For the first quarter, the company sees adjusted earnings of 45 cents to 50 cents a share and revenue of $1.48 billion to $1.58 billion. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters most recently projected 53 cents and $1.6 billion, respectively.

NetApp, which stores and manages clients’ information, had posted sharply lower earnings in the first half of the fiscal year as some customers–particularly defense and financial-services companies–avoided spending on data centers, though the company’s profits improved in its third quarter.

Chief Executive Tom Georgen said the latest period saw continued adoption of NetApp’s Data Ontap product, an expansion of its leadership position in flash storage and double-digit growth in branded bookings.

For the quarter ending April 26, NetApp reported a profit of $173.8 million, down from $180.7 million a year earlier. On a per share basis, earnings were unchanged at 47 cents. Excluding stock-based compensation and other items, per-share earnings rose to 69 cents from 66 cents.

Revenue edged up 0.8%, to $1.72 billion.

The company in February forecast adjusted earnings of 65 cents to 70 cents a share and revenue of $1.7 billion to $1.8 billion.

Gross margin widened to 60.1% from 58.4%. Operating expenses were up 7%.

Product sales, which make up the bulk of revenue, were down 2.3%. Software revenue increased 6.8% while service revenue rose 8.2%.

Through the close, the stock is up 9.2% since the start of the year.

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SOURCE: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/netapp-quarterly-net-slips-38-unveils-dividend-2013-05-21

For the current quarter, the company forecast downbeat earnings of 51 cents to 56 cents a share and revenue of $655 million to $685 million. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters most recently predicted 57 cents a share on revenue of $688 million.

Analog Devices specializes in signal-processing technology used in a broad range of electronic equipment from factory automation systems to portable electronic devices such as smartphones and tablets. The company and its competitors have been hurt in recent quarters by weak industrywide demand as customers have been slow to rebuild inventories amid concerns about the global economy.

For the period ended May 4, Analog Devices reported a profit of $164.5 million, up from $162.9 million a year earlier. Per-share, earnings dropped to 52 cents from 53 cents due to more shares outstanding in the latest period. Revenue was down 2.3% at $659.3 million.

Analog Devices in February forecast per-share earnings of 49 cents to 55 cents on revenue of about $647 million to $672 million.

Gross margin fell to 64% from 65.2%.

Provisions for income taxes fell 52%.

The company’s automotive segment posted 3.4% higher revenue. The industrial segment saw its revenue fall 3.9%. At its consumer business, revenue was down 4.7%, while the communications segment’s revenue fell 1.7%.

Shares closed Tuesday at $46.56 and were down 1.5% after hours amid the weak third-quarter estimates. As of the close, the stock was up 11% so far this year.

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SOURCE: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/analog-devices-second-quarter-net-up-1-2013-05-21

HPG Services, LLC (“HPG Services”) was formed in mid-2011 to provide construction and maintenance services to the energy industry in the Rocky Mountain and Great Plains regions of the United States. HPG Services intends to draw on Mark Hettinger’s industry expertise to become a regional leader in energy construction. HPG Services has recently completed projects in North Dakota and Wyoming.

Through it’s wholly-owned subsidiary CEP – M Purchase LLC, High Plains owns the former Marathon Oil Corporation “North & South Fairway” assets. These assets consist of 1,614 Coal Bed Methane wells with associated flow lines and over 155, 000 net operated acres.

Additionally, HPG maintains seven active leases; Stone Pile, Reeves, Foundation Pod, RAG Pod, Mills, Grams and the Dry Fork Lease. Each lease contains multiple wells ranging in development from newly drilled to producing wells. HPG has maintained a 98% success rating across all current wells by managing geological surveys, knowledge of coal-washouts and sour methane treating techniques.

Aside from its North and South Fairway Assets, HPG maintains 92 producing wells. Fifty-six of the 92 producing wells are selling marketable natural gas. Until recently, the majority of those wells were not connected to a transmission line. By the end of 2011, all producing wells will be connected to the HPG infrastructure. As new wells are drilled, they will be connected to the HPG infrastructure within 30 days of completion.

HPG maintains growth as a core value. To achieve its growth plans, HPG owns an inventory of gas related equipment and material. Current average well depth is approximately 280 feet. At this depth, HPG owns sufficient well casing to cover 20 wells. HPG also owns 36 additional well site equipment packages. Additionally, HPG has an inventory of eight miles of 8 inch transmission line. This material, when combined with the infrastructure installation equipment provides a visible asset base to allow HPG to continue to grow production and revenue.

Their lead developer is a licensed Registered Pharmacist, MBA and a Master in Pharmaceutical Sciences. He also serves as the company’s Chief Executive Officer with 20 years of combined leadership experience as a former U.S. Naval Medical Services Officer, founder of three industry-related endeavors of which are sales/distribution or marketing related and sustains an immense passion for success. Dewmar International is continuously exploring new functional product line concepts to match the most viable consumer base to yield more immediate profitability with reduced risk. Their management team has both the technical expertise to create the safest yet most effective products to be introduced to the market as well as the expert marketing analysis to ascertain improved probability of long-standing

The foreign exchange boost helped Japan’s No. 2 auto maker meet its full-year profit forecast, making up for lost ground stemming from higher expenses and a sales squeeze in its two biggest markets.

Nissan said Friday it posted a net profit of Y110.06 billion ($1.09 billion) in the January-March quarter, up from Y75.34 billion in the same period a year earlier. That was above a consensus forecast of Y93.81 billion from five analysts, according to FactSet.

Revenue rose to Y2.874 trillion from Y2.711 trillion, while operating profit grew 48% to Y174.36 billion. For the just-ended fiscal year, the maker of the Altima sedan and Leaf electric vehicles recorded a net profit of Y342.45 billion.

But Nissan’s results still underperformed its two larger rivals. Earlier this week Toyota Motor Corp. said its net profit tripled in the last fiscal year to Y962 billion while Honda Motor Co. last month reported a Y367 billion profit, up 73.6% from a year ago.

Nissan is an outlier in part because it recovered faster than its domestic rivals from the 2011 earthquake in Japan and flooding in Thailand that choked production at factories around the world. In the previous fiscal year ended March 2012, it posted big gains, record sales and results that exceeded its Japanese competitors.

But as Japan’s largest-selling auto brand in China it was also the most exposed by the collapse in sales following political tensions that spurred Chinese consumers to boycott Japan-made goods since the fall. Nissan draws about a quarter of its total profits from China, a greater portion than either Honda or Toyota.

Still, a recovery appears to be on the horizon. On Monday, Nissan said its new car sales in China rose 2.7% on year in April, reversing a 17% fall in March.

Meanwhile, production snags last autumn dented its profits in North America, Nissan’s second-biggest market after China. Intensifying competition in the U.S. also led to increased incentive spending.

One bright spot is the weakening yen, which tumbled to Y100 against the dollar early Friday morning. A weaker Japanese currency increases the yen value of profits earned overseas and makes exports from Japan more price competitive abroad.

Nissan sees the dollar averaging Y95 this fiscal year and the euro Y122.

For the current fiscal year to March 2014, Nissan said it expects a net profit of Y420 billion, an operating profit of Y610 billion, on revenue of Y10.370 trillion.

Nissan reports earnings under Japanese accounting standards.

Write to Yoree Koh at yoree.koh@wsj.com

SOURCE: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/nissan-motor-profit-surges-46-2013-05-10

The struggling electronics maker, which kicked off its LED lighting operations in 2008, has a leading position in the domestic market share. But that segment racked up sales of a mere Y10-Y20 billion, making up 1% of its revenue.

In addition, price competition with foreign rivals have more than halved LED product prices in recent years, making the business segment loss-making.

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SOURCE: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/sharp-considers-scaling-down-led-business-2013-05-10