Industry Week in Review – July 22, 2011

A debt ceiling agreement remained elusive this week, with the Senate rejecting the House’s “Cut, Cap and Balance” Plan on Friday. Nevertheless, President Obama and House Speaker Boehner seemed to be moving closer toward a deficit reduction deal cutting as much as $3 trillion in spending coupled with revenues of $1 trillion from tax code overhauls. The potential programs to see cuts remain unclear as the deadline for a deal draws closer, creating further uncertainty in the market. Other proposals on the table include Senators Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell’s incremental raise plan and the Gang of Six plan to cut the deficit by $3.7 trillion including $1 trillion in revenue increases.

Notes on some big movers:

Textron (Up 13.5%) – Shares were up for the week following strong second quarter earnings that exceeded Wall Street expectations.  Net income rose to $90 million, or $0.29 per share, beating analyst expectations of $0.24 per share. Revenue rose 12.2% to $2.48 billion, falling short of Wall Street revenue estimate of $2.83 billion.

Orbital Sciences Corp (Up 8.7%) – Shares rose as the company reported strong second quarter earnings. The company earned $0.36 per share, surpassing analyst expectations $0.22 per share, on $354.3 million of revenue, versus expectations of $328 million.

Notes on some relevant transactions:

Boeing announced Thursday that it will acquire Solutions Made Simple Inc., an information services provider for the IC and U.S. government. The terms of the deal, which is expected to close in 3Q11, were not disclosed. The transaction will further expand Boeing’s capabilities in C4ISR and cybersecurity.

SAIC announced Thursday that it will acquire Vitalize Consulting Solutions Inc., a provider of clinical, business, and IT services for healthcare enterprises. The terms of the deal, which is expected to close in early August 2011, were not disclosed. The transaction will strengthen SAIC’s existing government health solutions business and provide a dynamic channel into the commercial health provider market.

Stratos BV, a global provider of advanced mobile and fixed-site remote communications solutions, announced Thursday that it has acquired Blue

Ocean Wireless Ltd., a provider of shipboard GSM services that enables crewmembers to use personal GSM phones to communicate via voice and SMS, for an undisclosed amount. The transaction will improve Stratos’ GSM services to its global customer base.

General Dynamics announced Monday that it has acquired Network Connectivity Solutions Corp., a provider of enterprise services and cloud computing to the DoD, for an undisclosed amount. The cash transaction brings GD a prime position on the DISA Encore II vehicle and bolsters its enterprise IT solutions for DoD customers.

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