Kraft Foods Inc (KFT: 25.7414, 1.4914, 6.15%) posted a higher-than-expected first-quarter profit helped by price increases and cost-cutting measures. The largest North American food company on Tuesday also stood by its 2009 earnings and revenue forecasts. In recent years, Kraft has cut production costs while also increasing advertising and product development to help it garner higher prices and ...

Roche Holding AG is in “close contact” with governments worldwide and can boost production of its Tamiflu influenza treatment if a swine-flu pandemic develops, Chief Executive Officer Severin Schwan said. “We are ready to deliver emergency stocks to the World Health Organization,” Schwan said during a press conference in Paris today. “We can intensify production of Tamiflu.” As many as...

Honeywell International (HON: 31.38, -1, -3.09%) posted a 38% drop in profit before Friday’s opening bell on lower demand for its products and lowered its earnings forecast. See our stock pick of the week HERE The maker of aerospace and transportation products reported earnings fell to $397 million, or 54 cents a share, in the first quarter, compared to $643 million, or 85 cents a share, ...

Ford shares rally on Goldman Sachs upgrade to buy Analysts says bankruptcies from GM, Chrysler likely in coming weeks Ford Motor Co. shares jumped as much as 14% Wednesday after Goldman Sachs told investors that now is the time to buy ahead of an industry “sea change” that will benefit the nation’s second-biggest automobile maker. Ford Motor Co. shares jumped as much as 14% Wed...

Sales of Apple’s iPhone are slowing as potential buyers await the long-rumored refresh of the popular smartphone. On Wednesday, AT&T released its financial results for the first quarter of 2009. Among the details of the report – which showed revenue to be essentially flat, year-on-year – was the news that iPhone activations have slipped to 1.6 million during the quarter. Tha...

Airline stocks split directions Tuesday as two carriers posted better-than-expected first-quarter results, and a JPMorgan analyst downgraded three airlines and upgraded another. AirTran Holdings ( AAI – news – people ) Inc., parent of discount carrier AirTran Airways, led the group’s gainers after it posted a first-quarter profit of $28.7 ...

The restaurant chain beats first-quarter earnings estimates as price-conscious diners shop for values It’s not a big surprise that McDonald’s (MCD) first-quarter earnings beat Street estimates on Apr. 22. The fast-food chain is expected to thrive in a recessionary economy where diners are looking to cut costs. But surprisingly, the gains aren’t necessarily coming from the cheape...

Wells Fargo (WFC: 19.58, 0.88, 4.71%) reported increased profit in the first quarter on Wednesday, largely on the basis of its acquisition of Wachovia last year. Wells said its net income was $3.05 billion, or 56 cents a share in the first quarter, up from $2.0 billion, or 60 cents a share, in the same period the prior year. This was the first quarter in which Wachovia results were included...

AT&T’s (T: 26.26, 1.01, 4%) earnings were down from a year ago, but the biggest U.S. telecom carrier still beat Wall Street’s estimates for the first quarter. It’s shares were up over 3% in midday trading Wednesday. AT&T reported profits of $3.1 billion, or 53 cents per share, in the first three months of 2009, down about 10% from $3.5 billion, or 57 cents per share, a year ea...

The global recession continued to take a toll on the drug maker Merck’s (MRK: 23.7275, -1.5425, -6.1%) business in the first months of 2009, as the company saw sales of its most popular and lucrative cholesterol and cancer drugs evaporate during the quarter. The Whitehouse Station, N.J.-based company said it earned $1.45 billion last quarter, or 67 cents a share, down 56% from $3.33 billio...