Tag - Kfy

Shares of Korn/Ferry International (NYSE:KFY) climbed nearly 10% this morning on the news that the company had beat Wall Street estimates for its fiscal first quarter earnings by $0.06 a share.

The Los Angeles, Calif.-based staffing firm said before the bell this morning that it earned $15.9 million, or $0.36 per share, for the quarter ended July 31, compared with $17.1 million, or $0.36 per share, in the prior year quarter.

Analysts polled by Thomson First Call had on average estimated the company to report earnings per share of $0.30.

By mid-morning, the stock is at $19.11, up $1.69 from Mondayʼs close. Shares have ranged between $13.10 and $20.75 during the past 52 weeks.

For detailed price information and news stories on Korn/Ferry, click KFY.

Small-cap stocks edged higher after a soft opening, underpinned by residual support from Monday’s big GSE-led rally, and by a slide in crude oil prices, which hit multi-month lows this morning. At 10:03 a.m. ET, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) was up 2.32, or 0.32% at 735.18.

Crude oil prices slumped some $2 dollars a barrel, slipping below $104 dollars this morning for the first time in five months, as weather watchers predicted Hurricane Ike would turn south away from the primary oil production area in the Gulf of Mexico. OPEC leaders meeting in Vienna today said that output was likely to stay at current levels. Elsewhere on the commodities front, grains are called lower, softs were lower (with orange juice down 8%) and gold slipped 2% at one point during European trading overnight. The dollar extended the move to fresh 11-month highs against the euro currency, which also weighed on commodities.

Treasury products were modestly higher this morning, which reflected investor demand for less risky fare, which is a potential worry sign for equities. If money flow starts to aggressively favor credit instruments, it could pull money away from stocks, but for now the trends are in balance.

Broad market sectors on the rise this morning included automobile manufacturers, food retail stocks, hotels, publishers, internet software services, motorcycle manufacturers and restaurants. On the downside, coal remains under significant pressure. Also, fertilizer, steel, oil exploration, gold, metals and mining stocks were all taking a hit.

Individual small-caps on the move were highlighted by Korn Ferry Intl. (NYSE:KFY), which was up 8% on earnings news. US Airways Group Inc. (NYSE:LCC) climbed 7% higher, bolstered by the pullback in energy prices. On the downside, . . .