Chief Financial Officer Craig Owens said Monday that the price increases are coming because the soup giant expects input costs to continue rising, although at more moderate levels than over the last year.

The price increases will not apply to Campbell’s ready-to-serve soups.

Owens made the comments on Campbell’s earnings call for the fiscal third-quarter. Profit fell 5.4% as the food company was hit by rising commodities prices and higher marketing and selling expenses.

Campbell is in the midst of a multi-year plan to turn around its soup business after several years of declines.

Campbell shares were down 2.3% in recent trading to $32.62.

SOURCE: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/campbell-to-hike-list-prices-for-condensed-soup-5-2012-05-21

What is the essence of the OxySure® technology?

The OxySure products consist of thermoplastic devices, each of which stores two proprietary compounds in a cartridge. The powders are dry and inert until activated with a single step, instantly creating medically pure (USP) oxygen. The cartridges are disposable, while the main unit is reusable. OxySure has developed numerous worldwide patents for this breakthrough technology, providing the company with first-to-market protection on a safe way for individuals to store, carry and administer a source of on-demand, medically pure (USP) oxygen without the hazards associated with oxygen storage. OxySure’s consumer emergency product, Model 615 was cleared by the FDA for over-the-counter sale (without the need for a prescription) in the United States in December 2005.

Bridging the Gap…

OxySure bridges the gap between the onset of a medical emergency and the arrival of the first responders on the scene. Just like a fire extinguisher, OxySure products can be safely pre-positioned to provide immediate access to medical oxygen during a medical emergency between the onset of the emergency and the arrival of fire/rescue personnel. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) the average response time in the United States for fire/rescue is up to six minutes from the time of dispatch. This response can be higher, depending on traffic conditions or rural situations. OxySure® provides immediate application of oxygen to a patient by the patient, family member or by-stander during the first critical minutes between the onset of the medical emergency and the arrival of the fire/rescue personnel.

SOURCE: http://www.oxysure.com/

For the year, the company now expects results at the high end of its March view, which called for a profit of 85 cents to 95 cents a share and revenue of $9.1 billion to $9.5 billion.

The company forecast third-quarter earnings of 21 cents to 29 cents a share with revenue flat to down 10% from the prior quarter, amounting to $2.29 billion to $2.54 billion. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected 26 cents and $2.44 billion, respectively.

Applied Materials is the largest provider of machines used in making semiconductors, solar panels and displays. Due to tough conditions in the solar market, the company earlier this month said it plans to restructure its solar business and will start posting charges in its third quarter.

The company now has reported three consecutive quarters of weaker earnings amid pressure from lagging solar and display markets.

Applied Materials, best known for its semiconductor manufacturing equipment business, regularly experiences sharp boom-and-bust cycles triggered by fluctuations in supplies of chips and demand for them. The company has broadened its business to include tools used in making solar panels and displays used in computers and TVs. But supply gluts for manufacturers in those businesses have slowed plans to boost production capacity in the past year and have hurt Applied Materials’s results.

For the quarter ended April 29, Applied Materials reported a profit of $289 million, or 22 cents a share, from $489 million, or 37 cents a share, a year earlier. Excluding restructuring costs, acquisition-related expenses and other adjustments, per-share earnings were 27 cents. Revenue dropped 11% to $2.54 billion.

The company’s upbeat February forecast called for a per-share profit of 20 cents to 28 cents with revenue of $2.3 billion to $2.52 billion.

Gross margin narrowed to 39.8% from 41.5%.

Shares edged up 1.4% after hours Thursday to $10.63. The stock is down 2.2% so far in 2012.

SOURCE: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/applied-materials-earnings-fall-41-2012-05-17

Aruba, which sells wireless networking equipment to carriers and businesses, has seen its revenue soar in recent years as demand for wireless products grows. A proliferation of mobile devices has also helped to boost Aruba’s top line as consumers continue to bring new personal devices to work and draw on Aruba’s network hardware in the process, though the company faces increased competition.

For the quarter ended April 30, Aruba reported earnings of $6 million, or 5 cents a share, up from a year-earlier profit of $3.2 million, or 3 cents. Excluding stock-based expenses, amortization and other items, earnings were flat at 16 cents. Revenue increased 25% to $131.9 million.

In February, the company had projected earnings of 16 cents a share and revenue of $130 million to $132 million.

Gross margin rose to 70% from 67.7%.

Product revenue, which accounts for the bulk of the company’s top line, rose 24%.

Shares were inactive in after-hours trading. The stock is down 17% so far this year through the close.

SOURCE: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/aruba-networks-profit-surges-88-2012-05-17

The largest U.S. domestic carrier had steadily booked rising traffic for much of last year with help from its acquisition of low-cost rival AirTran. However, the airline industry has been challenged by higher fuel costs and has been cutting capacity to retain pricing power.

The dividend was raised for the first time since early 2001, with the company boosting the payout to 1 cent a share, up from .45 cent. The increase should cost Southwest an extra $4.2 million a quarter.

The stock buyback program, which still included $175 million from a previous authorization, was boosted to a total of $675 million.

Southwest last month reported stronger first-quarter income amid positive hedging impacts and strong revenue growth.

Shares are up 1.4% at $8.18. The stock is down 4.4% so far this year.

SOURCE: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/southwest-air-lifts-dividend-and-buyback-program-2012-05-16

Shares rose 2.8%, to $40 after hours, as the company raised its full-year earnings forecast and beat its quarterly guidance. As of Monday’s close, the stock was up 11% so far in 2012.

Agilent raised its adjusted earnings guidance for the year, now forecasting $3.18 to $3.24 a share and narrowed its revenue guidance to $6.94 billion to $7 billion in revenue. In February, Agilent’s view was $3.13 to $3.23 and $6.92 billion to $7.02 billion, respectively.

For the current quarter, the company expects earnings between 82 cents to 84 cents a share on $1.77 billion to $1.79 billion in revenue. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters most recently projected 83 cents in earnings and $1.76 billion in revenue.

Agilent’s core results have improved over the past year as newly introduced products and an expanding geographic reach drive its revenue growth. Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services in December raised its rating on Agilent by two notches, citing the company’s stronger-than-expected revenue and margin growth.

Signifying its stronger finances, the company in January declared its first ever quarterly dividend.

For the quarter ended April 30, Agilent reported a profit of $255 million, or 72 cents a share, up from $200 million, or 56 cents a share, a year earlier. Excluding amortization costs, acquisition-related adjustments and other items, per-share earnings rose to 78 cents from 74 cents. Net revenue improved 3.3% to $1.73 billion.

In February, the company predicted adjusted earnings of 71 cents to 73 cents a share on $1.7 billion to $1.72 billion in revenue.

Operating margin widened to 17.3% from 15.9%.

Agilent’s electronic-measurement segment, its largest top-line contributor, reported 5% higher revenue on strength in wireless manufacturing.

Revenue from the chemical-analysis unit rose 1.8%, while the life-sciences segment reported 1.1% higher revenue.

SOURCE: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/agilent-posts-28-higher-profit-2012-05-14

HOUSTON -(MarketWatch)- Chesapeake Energy Corp. CHK -13.80% said Friday that it could delay or change some of its planned asset sales in order not to endanger compliance with the conditions set out by creditors.

In a quarterly filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Oklahoma City, Okla.-based oil and gas producer said that while asset sales generate cash, they decrease the cash flow generated by the company, and “reduce the amount and value of collateral available to secure our obligations, both of which are exacerbated by low natural gas prices.” In order to comply with the requirements of its $4 billion corporate credit facility, the company “may delay one or more of our currently planned asset monetizations, or select other assets for monetization.” As of March 31, the company had $2.5 billion outstanding in its corporate credit facility.

The language, which Argus Research analyst Phil Weiss says is new, puts a damper on Chesapeake’s unrelenting strategy of raising money from asset sales to keep drilling in new areas and bring down its high levels of debt. At times when natural gas prices were high, the company was able to keep aggressively growing while selling stakes in its fields. But with prices near decade-low levels, “at least there may have to be a change in the asset monetization strategy,” Weiss said.

The company says it expects to obtain $11.5 billion to $14 billion from asset transactions in 2012, which will be enough to fund its capital expenditures and reduce debt.

Chesapeake shares tumbled Friday after the company filed a notice that it would not be able to produce an annual report on time with the SEC, followed shortly by the quarterly report, which had been expected Thursday. In 46 minutes, Chesapeake’s market capitalization lost $1.05 billion, as shares fell from $16.39 to their $14.81 closing price. Total market capitalization now sits at $9.8 billion, falling below $10 billion for the first time since the financial crisis. In July 2008, Chesapeake was worth about $49 billion.

Chesapeake has recently come under scrutiny due to the extraordinary complexity of its financial operations, which concerns many analysts. In addition, Chief Executive Aubrey McClendon has borrowed personally up to $1.4 billion to finance his participation in a controversial Chesapeake program that gives him a small stake in every well drilled by the company; he borrowed money from financial institutions that had done business with Chesapeake, prompting investors and analysts to decry a lack of oversight at the top echelons of the company. The program has since been scrapped, and McClendon was removed from his chairman role on Chesapeake’s board, although he remains CEO.

Ben Casselman of The Wall Street Journal contributed to this article.

SOURCE: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/chesapeake-says-may-delay-asset-sales-2012-05-11

Google’s U.S. market share rose 0.1 percentage point to 66.5% in April from the prior month. Microsoft’s share also edged up 0.1 percentage point to 15.4% last month. Yahoo Inc.’s YHOO -1.62% sites remained in the No. 3 spot, slipping 0.2 percentage points to 13.5%. IAC/InterActiveCorp.’s IACI -0.23% Ask.com’s share and AOL Inc.’s AOL -0.84% shares were unchanged at 3% and 1.6%, respectively.

Americans conducted 17.1 billion core search queries last month, down from 18.36 billion in March. Google again ranked first, with 11.4 billion searchers, followed by Microsoft, with 2.6 billion, and Yahoo with 2.3 billion.

ComScore has shifted how it reports its data after Yahoo’s “contextual searches” skewed earlier results. The group measures U.S. explicit core searches, which exclude contextual searches that don’t reflect any intent by users.

SOURCE: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/googles-web-search-market-share-rises-in-april-2012-05-11

MINERAL              EXPLORATION

Mineral exploration can be a golden investment opportunity worth taking a closer look at. It is the process of finding a viable ore body, or concentrations of minerals. This differs from mineral prospecting due to its greater intensity and more extensive nature. The process of mineral exploration can be divided into several stages, depending on the size of the region being explored, the desired outcome, and the specific minerals being sought. Mineral exploration is largely influenced by the region that is chosen for the project as well as the available resources.

Toron Inc. prides itself on being a new mineral exploration company focusing its attention on projects involving gold and other valuable metals. It is based in Quebec, one of Canada’s richest mining provinces. This Nevada Company incorporated its wholly owned subsidiary – Toron Resources Inc., which was formed for the sole purpose of exploring mining projects in Canada, and specifically, in Quebec.

In 2008, the Fraser Institute ranked Quebec the number one jurisdiction among the top 68 in the world for mining investment, due mainly for its favorable mining policies and mineral potential. As Quebec’s Premier Jean Charest said about the region, “It is one of the world’s last virgin territories. It’s also a fragile territory and a territory of great richness…” This area is rich in rare earth minerals and various mineral deposits such as gold, nickel, cobalt, and platinum. BBC News reports that “Northern Quebec has incomparable mining potential,” as summed up by Sege Simard, natural resources minister. Mineral exploration in the Quebec region has huge potential, as the hunger for raw materials leads to company investments in the projects.

The first and most vital step in mineral exploration is exploring a region in order to find out whether the area is mineral rich through a theory known as ore genesis. This theory supports knowledge of ore and its occurrences, and helps in selecting the area with the most ore deposits. It is also crucial to determine what is to be explored. The exploration of gold differs from that of other metals in two profound ways: first in the selection criteria for the area to be explored and second in the exploration techniques used. An area prosperous in gold doesn’t necessarily have to prosper in other metals.

This is why mineral exploration isn’t something the average Joe or Jane can do, and this is when companies, like Toron Inc., come into play. Toron Inc. concentrates mainly on valuable metals such as gold. The company’s first acquisition is the Tiblemont Gold Property, located in the south eastern part of the Abitibi Greenstone Belt – the largest greenstone belt of Canada’s Superior Province, well known for its important volcanogenic massive sulfides and orogenic lode gold deposits. These properties are made up of 255 claims that are 33,984 acres in size, and lies mainly in the Tiblemont and Senneterre townships, with a few claims in the Pascalis and Courville townships In addition  Toron has contracted to purchase an additional 140 claims that are 19,563 acres in size . These are located in the same area of the Tiblemont and Senneterre townships. More info can be found in the Projects section. The Company has currently closed the acquistion of  255 claims, and has the remaining 140 under contract with a total of 395 claims that are 21,677 hectares or 53,543 acres in size.

Besides focusing on the exploration of rich minerals, Toron Inc. is also in the midst of building a new strong management team, fixated on leading the company forward. The company hopes to make a name for itself in the near future and to be recognized as a valuable mineral exploration company.

Toron Inc. is listed on the OTC Bulletin Board and will strive to build shareholder value rapidly. Its quarterly reports and financial information can be found in the Investor Infosection.

SOURCE: http://toroninc.com/

It is part of an effort to refurbish an image that became tarnished by the financial crisis and its aftermath. Goldman’s top brass have said they need to do a better job explaining to the public what the company does.

Executives recently have been more available to reporters, extending all the way to Chairman and Chief Executive Lloyd Blankfein. Appearing in shirtsleeves during a CNBC interview late last month — his first live TV interview in two years — Blankfein said, “It occurred to us that we haven’t gotten everything right with respect to how we’ve dealt with the public.”

That interview was done from Goldman’s lower Manhattan headquarters, outside the meeting rooms of a client conference focused on opportunities in growth markets overseas, one of Goldman’s main themes.

Goldman holds client conferences frequently, but they usually aren’t broadly discussed or open to the media. Select clients are invited and, as in the emerging-markets event, speakers are asked not to disclose what goes on, a person familiar with the matter said.

Now, Goldman is considering adding publicity to events that have broad public appeal, such as an upcoming conference this fall where established entrepreneurs will be able to meet and mingle with up-and-comers. A similar high-profile conference would have been last year’s education summit done in conjunction with Stanford University, a person familiar with the matter said.

Showcasing its expertise and engagement with clients through conferences and other events “is a core part of the brand,” the person said.

Subtle shifts in Goldman’s public-relations strategy began more than one year ago after an extensive internal review that concluded, among other things, it should put a renewed focus on client communication.

Goldman also has reached out to shareholders. It successfully removed six proposals from this year’s proxy, some of them withdrawn after negotiations with the shareholders and some rejected by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

It also agreed to name an independent lead director of its board after striking a deal with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, an influential union that had sought to split the roles of chairman and CEO.

The firm is even polishing up its online presence. Some 24,667 employees out of 32,400 are on LinkedIn, and it introduced a YouTube channel in February featuring feel-good videos of employees talking about their careers and clients talking about Goldman.

One big outward shift: Richard Siewert Jr., who goes by the name Jake, joined as the firm’s new head of communications in March. Siewert is a former White House press secretary who was a senior adviser to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner until last year.

He took over from Lucas Van Praag, a partner who retired after guiding Goldman’s communication effort for much of its 12 years as a public company. Van Praag had gained notoriety for his sharp-tongued commentary on media coverage of Goldman.

“Obviously they are making some changes,” said Charles M. Elson, the director of the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at The University of Delaware. “But the proof is in the pudding. Is the organization different?”

In recent years Goldman has wavered in its media strategy, retreating in the face of intense scrutiny over everything from its alleged client conflicts to allegations of insider trading by a former board member.

In March, a London employee quit and wrote a column in The New York Times calling the firm’s culture “toxic and destructive.”

Negative publicity has hurt the firm and possibly cost it business, according to Mike Mayo, a banking analyst at CSLA, who met with Blankfein recently.

“The CEO concedes that he and the company should have done a better job in handling the attention and that Goldman has probably had unknown missed opportunities as a result,” Mayo said in a research note describing the meeting.

Just days before Siewert’s arrival in March, a Delaware judge criticized Goldman for advising El Paso Corp. in its $21 billion sale to Kinder Morgan, a natural gas pipeline operator in which Goldman’s private equity arm holds a 19% stake.

In their annual letter to shareholders earlier this year, Blankfein and President and Chief Operating Officer Gary Cohn said interviews with clients revealed they wanted Goldman to communicate more clearly the roles it takes interacting with them. About 8,000 Goldman employees have gone through training focused on the various roles the company assumes with clients.

“A central theme of the training is the need to be clear to ourselves and to our clients about the capacity in which we are acting and the responsibilities we have assumed,” Goldman’s shareholder letter said.

Transparency can clean up an image problem, but “what we really need to change is industry practices,” said Kurt Schacht, managing director of the CFA Institute, which is holding its annual meeting this week around the theme “Rebuilding Trust In The Industry.”

SOURCE: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/buffing-image-goldman-cracks-door-on-some-events-2012-05-09