smithfield foods

The Trading Radar highlights key earnings and economic announcements for tomorrow's trading session: Before Market Opens: Economics: 8:30am EST

• Initial Claims - Street sees 455K
• Continuing Claims - Street sees 5450K
• Trade Balance - Street sees ($36.8) Billion

Earnings: Learning Tree International (NASDAQ: LTRE) – consensus EPS $0.12 Intraday or Not Specified: Economics: 2:00pm EST

• Treasury Budget - Street sees ($131.6) Billion

Earnings: BWAY Holding Company (NYSE: BWY) – consensus EPS $0.39 Ciena Corporation (NASDAQ: CIEN) – conse

Smithfield Foods Inc. reports results for its fiscal second quarter on Thursday before the market opens. The following is a summary of key developments and analyst opinion related to the period, which ended in October.

UPGRADES: Bank of America upgrades Semi Manufacturing International (NYSE: SMI) from Underperform to Neutral.

Wells Fargo Securities upgrades Toll Brothers, Inc. (NYSE: TOL) Market Perform to Outperform with a $24-$26 valuation. Click Here for more color.

Deutsche Bank upgrades Smithfield Foods (NYSE: SFD) from Hold to Buy and raised their price target from $12 to $20.

Smithfield Foods says it posted a bigger first-quarter loss as one-time charges and lower domestic hog prices hurt results.

The Trading Radar highlights key earnings and economic announcements for tomorrow's trading session: Before Market Opens: Earnings: C&D Technologies (NYSE: CHP) - consensus loss $0.11 Smithfield Foods (NYSE: SFD) - consensus loss $0.55 Intraday or Not Specified: Economics: 2pm ET

• Consumer Credit for July - Street expects -$4B

After Market Closes: Earnings: AeroVironment (Nasdaq: AVAV) - consensus EPS of $0.13 Casey's General Stores (Nasdaq: CASY) - consensus EPS $0.60 Flow International (Nasdaq: FLOW) - consensus loss $0.06 FuelCell Energy (Nasdaq: FCE

Smithfield Foods, the nation's largest hog producer and pork processor, posted a smaller-than-expected fiscal fourth-quarter loss as pork sales remained stable.

Smithfield says the swine flu outbreak had no significant impact on results.

Smithfield Foods Inc., the nation's largest pork producer and processor, said Thursday tests confirm its pig herd in Veracruz, Mexico does not have H1N1, or swine flu.

The chief executive of the largest U.S. pork processor, Smithfield Foods Inc., told employees Thursday that the company is awaiting results from new tests at its facility in Veracruz, Mexico, as fear of the swine flu outbreak deepens.