Fidelity National Information Services (NYSE:FIS) announced today that it would spin off its lender processing division into a new publicly traded company. The decision comes just weeks after the company bolstered its transaction services business with the $1.8 billion acquisition of eFunds.

"We believe the proposed separation will provide more company flexibility and dedicated management focus with respect to product development, capital investment and strategic initiatives, which should ultimately drive higher value to our customers and shareholders," Foley said.

The split will let Fidelity National focus on transaction processing services for banks and thrifts, which sell processing, electronic payment and credit card processing services. Meanwhile, the new spin-off will handle the mortgage end of the business which sells data processing and other technology to mortgage lenders.

Fidelity expects the spin-off to be completed by the middle of 2008, pending approval by the Securities and Exchange Commission and a ruling from the IRS related to the tax-free nature of the transaction. Shares rose over three percent today on the news before falling marginally. Combined, these factors make FIS a stock worth watching!

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WellCare Health Plans (NYSE:WCG) shares plunged after the FBI showed up with search warrants for documents and files at the company's headquarters. The company offered no further details, but are cooperating with the investigation and keeping core services running. Shares were trading at $115 before being halted and are now set to trade around $40.

The investigation is likely related to an abuse of government subsidies for healthcare since any accounting fraud is usually handled by the SEC and IRS. Similar FBI raids took place in the online education industry not long ago, when the government alleged that they were misappropriating subsidized government loans. The case against those companies was eventually dropped after the allegations turned out to be false.

Currently, shares in the company appear to be priced for the worse case scenario. The stock is trading at around $41 per share, which is just a few dollars above the company's $39 per share in cash. Assuming that the company will not be forced to pay any huge fees, a profitable company trading at cash value is definitely something you don't see every day.

In the end, investors do not yet have enough information about the situation to pass judgment. If the investigation goes the way of online education companies not long ago, then the shares will likely return to their previous levels. Meanwhile, even if the investigation finds some issue, a company trading at cash value is certainly a great deal assuming there are no huge fees levied. Combined, these factors make WCG a stock worth watching!

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Nintendo (OTC:NTDOY) continues to woo investors after announcing yet another record quarter. The video game company reported net profits of $1.16 billion on sales that more than doubled and operating profit that rose 181 percent. Shareholders are hoping that the company can continue this streak of impressive growth and deliver value to investors.

Nintendo shares have nearly doubled this year with the success of its innovative Wii gaming console and continued strength in its handheld gaming businesses. Since the Wii's launch in November, the company has sold 13.17 million units and now expects to sell 17.5 million during this fiscal year. Meanwhile, the company also raised its sales forecast on handheld units by 61 percent.

The Wii continues to outsell the Sony Playstation and it wasn't until only recently that Microsoft's Xbox was able to beat out the console. The Wii relies on price and a unique controller in order to drive gamers despite a lack of big-name software titles. This is the opposite of Microsoft and Sony who rely on huge titles like Halo and Final Fantasy to drive sales.

In the end, Nintendo continues to impress shareholders and investors with astounding numbers. The only big problem in the near-term is a strengthening Yen that may end up affecting the price of its units. It's shares have been on a steady increase since 2006 - up over 350 percent. Clearly, this makes NTDOY a stock worth watching!

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Oracle Corporation (NDAQ:ORCL) will have to increase  its offer for BEA Systems (NDAQ:BEAS) by more than 23 percent if it wants to continue negotiations to buy the company. BEA rejected Oracles prior bid of $17 per share made two weeks ago that was set to expire this Sunday. The company, along with its shareholders, are still looking for a sale but at a better price.

BEA believed that Oracle's previous bid significantly undervalues BEA and therefore is not in the best interest of BEA shareholders. The new $21 per share valuation was derived with help from Goldman Sachs and based on analyst estimates of synergies in prior acquisitions by Oracle. The investment banking firm believes that BEA could achieve earnings accretion in a BEA acquisition at levels well in excess of $21 per share.

A valuation of $21 per share would set the company's market cap at $8.15 billion. The company believes it can justify this valuation because it has an exceptionally strong balance sheet with over $1 billion in cash and no debt. Moreover, the business support software industry is booming and Oracle is finding itself under pressure to purchase after SAP acquired Business Objects earlier this month.

In the end, with investors like Carl Icahn pushing for a sale of BEA, it is likely that the company will continue to find ways to unlock value. Whether or not Oracle will negotiate at $21 per share remains to be seen, but this is definitely a stock that is worth watching!

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Microsoft Corporation (NDAQ:MSFT) reportedly beat out Google (NDAQ:GOOG) in securing a minority stake in social networking giant Facebook. The software maker agreed to invest $240 million for a minority stake that values the site at $15 billion. The two companies also expanded their existing advertising agreement.

The agreement comes after substantial lobbying by both Microsoft and Google for a prized stake in the very closely held Facebook. The company will use Microsoft's existing advertising platforms in order to handle deals in new markets as well as the U.S. market. The software maker recently scaled up its technology investment and owns several new technologies aimed at brokering advertising over the web.

There is some concern that the valuation of Facebook is far to great to justify; however, it is important to remember that Microsoft is only buying a stake - not the whole company. Microsoft may be willing to overpay for a variety of reasons - chiefly, the commercial implications of a relationship with the social networking giant. Others believe that Facebook may go the way of Friendster who went bust due to difficulties monetizing its audience.

In the end, this is good news for Microsoft shareholders as it is a deal with one of the fastest growing and largest social networks in the world. This makes MSFT a stock worth watching!

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Merrill Lynch (NYSE:MER) shocked investors today after it announced a steep loss in the third quarter resulting from a $7.9 billion writedown on its fixed-income trading business. The investment company's first quarterly net loss since 2001 totalled $2.24 billion and sparked concerns about the company's risk management policies.

The losses stemmed from collateralized debt obligations (CDOs), subprime mortgages and management's misvaluation of the assets. The big surprise was the firm's $32 billion exposure to CDOs at the end of the second quarter - am amount that is much higher than expected. The firm also wrote down losses from its corporate restructuring business, although they were not nearly as severe.

Standard & Poor's cut Merrill's credit rating on notch to A+ calling the net loss "startling" and the scale of the writedowns "staggering". The company also experienced downgrades from Moody's Investors Service and Fitch. Combined, these cuts may increase the firms cost of capital and ipact its earnings.

Meanwhile, Merrill insists that it is financially secure and comfortable with its liquidity but the bank warned that conditions could become even more secure in the future due to liquidity. It is worth noting, however, that Merrill was the only one of the five biggest investment banks to swing to a quarterly loss - all the others were able to better weather the storm.

These losses have led to speculation that the bank could even become a buyout target for someone like Warren Buffet - who was rumored to have an interest in Bear Stearns not long ago. The firm's stock is certainly cheap at these levels while the brand and reputation is still relatively in tact. Combined, these factors make MER a stock worth watching!

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Transmeta Corporation (NDAQ:TMTA) shares are up over 200 percent today on news that the company finally struck a deal with Intel (NDAQ:INTC) to settle all claims between them and to license its patent portfolio for use in current and future Intel products. The move follows several years of patent disputes between the two companies related to processor design.

"We are very pleased to have reached this agreement with Intel," said Les Crudele, president and CEO of Transmeta. "We believe that this arrangement will create value for Transmeta stockholders both by realizing immediate financial value for our intellectual property rights and by supporting our technology development and licensing business going forward."

The agreement grants Intel a perpetual non-exclusive license to all Transmeta patents and applications now and during the next ten years. Transmeta will also transfer technology and grant Intel a non-exclusive license to its LongRun and LongRun2 technologies along with any future improvements. However, Intel will not be able to sue Transmeta for developing and licensing these technologies to third parties.

So, why are shares up so much today? Well, the new agreement calls for Intel to make an initial $150 million payment to Transmeta as well as to pay Transmeta an annual license fee of $20 million for each of the next five years. Given the fact that the company's current market cap (even after today's jump) is $140 million, this is great news for shareholders and investors. The move also removes any concerns about selling its microprocessors and technologies in the future.

In the end, Transmeta is potentially still undervalued given the magnitude of this deal that promises to result in a payment greater than its existing market cap plus ongoing royalties for ten years. It also removes a legal cloud that has been impacting the company's shares for some time now. Combined, these factors make TMTA a stock worth watching!

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Children's Place Retail Stores Inc. (NDAQ:PLCE) announced that they have hired Lehman to explore strategic alternatives, according to a press release put out by the company. The move comes after the company lost more than half of its value amid accounting problems and falling same-store sales. Shareholders are hoping that this review will result in a transaction that will jump the shares.

"The Board of Directors and management team are focused on strengthening the organization and positioning the Company to take advantage of long-term growth opportunities through its Children's Place and Disney Store brands," said chief executive Chuck Crovitz in a statement. "We believe it is in the best interest of the company, our shareholders, and employees to initiate a comprehensive review of strategic alternatives."

Children's Place disclosed last August that its quarterly losses nearly doubled and that its full year profits would fall far below analyst estimates, which led to shares plunging more than 50 percent. Now the company has no long-term debt and is expected to end the year with at least $160 million in cash with a market cap of around $682 million.

In the end, it is likely that the company will at least institute a share buyback or special dividend to rid itself of this spare cash while also perhaps taking on some debt or selling some stores. Many shareholders, however, are hoping that the company will take another route and sell itself entirely, which could easily result in a substantial windfall for shareholders and investors. Either way, PLCE is definitely a stock worth watching!

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The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA) announced third quarter earnings of $1.44 which came in 20 cents better than estimates, according to an 8-K filing with the SEC. Shares moved down, however, on news that the aerospace company's 787 delivery schedule was being pushed back yet again due to parts shortages and production problems.

The aerospace company also revised its 2007 guidance up from $4.95 to $5.15. The improvement came from core business improvements and lower corporate costs. These improvements are also expected to positively impact future quarters and offset the change in delivery schedule. 

"Our focus on growth and productivity is driving strong financial performance across our company," said Boeing Chairman, President and CEO Jim McNerney. "With our record backlog and healthy, growing markets, the tasks at hand are to execute our programs, continue expanding our business base, and become more efficient every day."

Meanwhile, the Airbus vs. Boeing rivalry recently extended into airforce contracts. A key $40 billion contract for a tanker aircraft is up in the air amid a WTO dispute about aerospace subsidies. Airbus products are increasingly in demand by the U.S. government as alternatives to an increasingly limited pool of U.S. aircraft designs.

Overall, Boeings earnings cast additional doubt on the company's ability to carry forward with the 787 delivery schedule without further delays. However, the company has reduced its costs which led to an earnings surprise this quarter and should keep the net about even in the next. Combined, these factors make BA a stock worth watching!

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Amazon.com, Inc. (NDAQ:AMZN) is continuing to party like it's 1999 with shares nearly tripling off of their 52-week lows ahead of their earnings report today. Shares are already up in anticipation of strong earnings after Google, Apple and RIM all reported blowout quarters.

Amazon's two previous quarters showcased blockbuster earnings growth, which has led to high expectations for this quarter leading into the holiday shopping season. Sales in the third quarter benefited from the blockbuster release of the last Harry Potter, which drew many readers to the store.

The majority of today's move, however, appears to be shorts covering before the earnings announcement. The online retailer showed 36.8 million shares sold short at the end of September and this could clearly be crippling if Amazon's earnings turn out to be along the lines of Apple or Google.

In the end, strong revenue growth coupled with improving margins as a result of lower costs and higher third-party mixes have resulted in a strong stock during  the past few months. Whether or not this success is already priced in remains to be seen, but this is definitely a stock worth following!

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