Amazon reported weaker-than-expected sales and earnings for the fourth quarter on Tuesday.

But investors quickly seemed to give the online-retailing giant a pass — partly because they figured the results reflected general economic reality, and partly because Amazon continues to be an unrivaled, trailblazing juggernaut that keeps all its competitors on their toes.

Revenue jumped 22 percent during the quarter to more than $21 billion, but fell short of analysts' expectations of more than $22 billion. And Amazon's profits were just $97 million during the period, compared with $177 million a year earlier.Continue reading...

Apple's flat profits and lower-than-expected iPhone sales dominated coverage of its Q1 2013 quarterly financial earnings call on Wednesday and sent it stock sliding, but the company cited several reasons why it sees a lot of opportunity ahead. 

Its revenues, after all, were reported at a record $54.5 billion — an 18% increase over the same quarter last year — with profits of $13.1 billion.

And despite news that Mac sales are down 21% year-over-year (with general PC shipments down 6% globally) CEO Tim Cook was quick to say the downturn was due in part to the success of the iPad — a "huge opportunity" for the company, he said.Continue reading...

Despite record sales of iPhones and iPads, Apple's first-quarter earnings inched up a mere 0.1 percent, the company said late today.

The news immediately sent Apple's stock 6 percent lower, the New York Times reported. All told, Apple's stock value has fallen 16 percent in the past three months, the Wall Street Journal said.

The company reported sales in the last quarter of a record 47.8 million iPhones, marking a 29 percent increase from a year before. Still, analysts had projected sales of up to 50 million, prompting WSJ's headline: "Apple Earnings Disappoint."

The earnings report comes as the brand finds itself under increasing pressure worldwide as competitors offer cheaper products that hold strong appeal to a growing global middle class.Continue reading...

Apple is roaring into the holiday season, reporting earnings for the company's fiscal fourth quarter ending Sept. 30th that show how last month's iPhone 5 launch boosted business, while iPad demand is still high.

The company posted quarterly revenue of $36.0 billion and quarterly net profit of $8.2 billion, or $8.67 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $28.3 billion and net profit of $6.6 billion, or $7.05 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 40.0 percent compared to 40.3 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 60 percent of the quarter’s revenue.

Apple sold 26.9 million iPhones in the quarter, representing 58 percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 14.0 million iPads during the quarter, a 26 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. On the more tepid side of its product offering, it sold 4.9 million Macs during the quarter, a 1 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter; and 5.3 million iPods, a 19 percent unit decline from the year-ago quarter.

“We’re very proud to end a fantastic fiscal year with record September quarter results,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We’re entering this holiday season with the best iPhone, iPad, Mac and iPod products ever, and we remain very confident in our new product pipeline.” Analysts will be very curious, no doubt, how many iPad mini sales Apple projects for the upcoming holiday season, given that 14 million units of the full-size iPad were just sold.Continue reading...

How far away is Mexico from the United States? It might as well be on the other side of the world as far as many Walmart shoppers in America are concerned. When they're hunting bargains in the store, the allegations of bribery against Walmart executives as they built their operation in Mexico are about as pertinent to U.S. shoppers as the won-loss record of the 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers.

Walmart executives have been saying as much since the New York Times broke the news on April 21 about the Mexican bribery scheme, as the company said the investigation wasn't expected to have a material impact on its business. But today, those executives acknowledged that the scope of the bribery scandal could widen — and that it had taken a hit on its reputation.Continue reading...

PepsiCo today reported first quarter 2012 earnings of net revenue growth of 4% and reaffirmed its 2012 targets.

"Our first quarter results reflect the strength of our brands which allowed us to implement significant pricing actions," stated PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi. "Effective pricing and packaging initiatives drove 5 percent constant currency net revenue growth, allowing us to substantially offset approximately $300 million in commodity cost inflation."

In the video below, PepsiCo's CFO Hugh Johnston elaborates on the earnings and reaffirms targets for 2012. He also shares how PepsiCo is making progress in implementing it strategy and building momentum through brand-building, innovation, execution and productivity initiatives.Continue reading...

As Best Buy's March Madness commercial states, "It's time for comebacks and miracles."

The big box retailer used to be able to count on such major sports events — along with the Super Bowl, NFL Kick-Off, MLB Opening Day — to drive sales of new TV sets and big-screen home theaters. But with HDTV penetration at about 63% in the U.S., and an estimated one in four American homes a Blu-ray disc player, the big box consumer electronics retailer is backing away from its big box model.

Today, the company (which recently closed its UK operations) announced as part of its dismal quarterly earnings report that it is closing 50 of its 1,100 U.S. stores this year, while testing smaller tech support-centric "connected stores" in San Antonio and Minneapolis.

As part of its restructuring, it will also lay off 400 corporate and support workers in order to slash $800 million in costs and turn around its struggling business model. In addition to shifting away from being a big box retailer, it's also looking to China for growth.Continue reading...

Things are rough all over, but the world’s fourth-largest brewer, Carlsberg, is hoping they will at least get a little better in northern and western Europe as well as Russia to help boost its sales. That's the guidance Carlsberg is giving to Wall Street, as it adjusts its financial outlook and warns investors that “operating profits would stall this year,” Reuters reports.

"We have taken a cautious view for northern and western Europe, and assume a slightly declining market in 2012," Carlsberg CFO Jorn Jensen stated at an investor presentation. "Consumers in Europe are assumed to remain under pressure from the macro economic situation." The beer market in Russia, where Carlsberg earns almost of its sales, should see “modest growth” in 2012 after a serious falloff last year.

Carlsberg CEO Jorgen Buhl said that the brand is working hard to build up its market share in Russia again. That plan includes taking “full control of Russian unit Baltika through an offer to buy the 15 percent it does not already own.”

While that would help its position in Russia immediately, the company admitted that the “challenging environment" in northern and western Europe would make things difficult there. The company is also looking for acquisitions in Asia, according to Bloomberg, where China is seen as the company's "growth engine."