Top Earnings & Economic Previews For The Day Ahead (AAP, APA, AMAT, BIDU, ABX, DTV, DVA, DUK, ELNK, GM, LEAP, TAP, JWN, SPWR, WM, WWWW)

Thursday is a fairly busy day for earnings expectations.  We are expecting the following reports: Advance Auto Parts Inc. (NYSE: AAP); Apache Corporation (NYSE: APA); Applied Materials Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT); Baidu Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU); Barrick Gold Corporation (NYSE: ABX); DIRECTV, Inc. (NASDAQ: DTV); DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA); Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE: DUK); EarthLink Inc. (NASDAQ: ELNK); General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM); Leap Wireless International Inc. (NASDAQ: LEAP); Molson Coors Brewing Co. (NYSE: TAP); Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN); SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ: SPWR); Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE: WM); and Web.com Group Inc. (NASDAQ: WWWW).  We have compiled some basic previews on each along with estimates from Thomson Reuters.

Advance Auto Parts Inc. (NYSE: AAP) shares almost hit a 52-week high on Wednesday.  Estimates are $0.75 EPS and $1.32 billion in sales.

Apache Corporation (NYSE: APA) $2.87 EPS on $4.3 billion in revenue; watch for news on northern Africa operations.

Applied Materials Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT) $0.12 EPS on $1.97 billion in sales; next quarter estimates are $0.16 EPS on $2.08 billion in sales.  This report will have every chip cap-ex stock elsewhere looking closely.

Baidu Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU) is the “Google of China’ by many investors… estimates are $0.91 EPS and $700.75 million in sales.  Next quarter estimates are $0.83 EPS and $665.9 million in sales.   Around $138 it is back in the middle of its 52-week trading range.

Barrick Gold Corporation (NYSE: ABX) $1.27 EPS and shares are in the lower half of the 52-week range.

DIRECTV, Inc. (NASDAQ: DTV) $0.92 EPS on $7.4 billion in sales; Team Buffett at Berkshire Hathaway added shares to the position.

DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA) $1.48 EPS on $1.85 billion in sales; Team Buffett added this as a new position for the Berkshire Hathaway holdings.

Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE: DUK) $0.21 EPS on $3.37 billion in revenue

EarthLink Inc. (NASDAQ: ELNK) is still around and acting as a business broadband provider rather than just a dial-up ISP of the days past.  Estimates are $0.04 EPS and $349.23 million in sales.

General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) $0.41 EPS and $38.2 billion in sales; GM is still a busted IPO but is trading down under 7-times 2012 expected earnings.  Value, or value trap?

Leap Wireless International Inc. (NASDAQ: LEAP) -$1.11 EPS on $808 million in sales.  Watch shares of MetroPCS Communications, Inc. (NYSE: PCS).

Molson Coors Brewing Co. (NYSE: TAP) $0.70 EPS

Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN) $1.10 EPS on $3.18 billion in sales

SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ: SPWR) was the ‘solar buyout that only got partly acquired’ and shares have been bashed.  At $7.36, the 52-week range is $4.94 to $23.36.  Earnings estimates are -$0.05 EPS on $669 million in sales.

Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE: WM) $0.60 EPS on $3.35 billion in revenue.  The 3.8% yield may make more interest than in rival Republic Services.

Web.com Group Inc. (NASDAQ: WWWW) is expected to post $0.23 EPS and $93.95 million in sales.  If all goes well, this one trades at less than 10-times expected 2012 earnings.  It has been hard to not notice a high degree of advertising out of Web.com of late.

Thursday’s Economic Data:

8:30 AM EST Weekly Jobless Claims (365K est.)

8:30 AM EST January Housing Starts (677K est.)

8:30 AM EST January PPI (+0.4% es.)

9:00 AM EST Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke speaks on community banking

10:00 AM EST Treasury’s Geithner speaks to Senate Budget Committee

10:00 AM EST February Philly Fed

10:30 AM EST Weekly Natural Gas inventories

4:30 PM EST Feb. 15 Foreign Central Bank Treasury Holdings

JON C. OGG