TradingMarkets 7 Stocks You Need to Know for Thursday

Profit-taking and disappointment that lower home prices did not spur stronger home resales kept stocks under selling pressure on Wednesday. A late rally faded, bringing stocks back into the red and out of increasingly overbought conditions.

The Dow slid 80.05. The Nasdaq Composite ended the day down 16.40. And the S&P 500 closed off 8.24.

Here are 7 Stocks You Need to Know for Thursday.

Allstate
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announced that it was cutting its dividend by 51%. The capital-boosting move comes after the insurer’s second consecutive quarterly earnings loss.

Apple
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CEO Steve Jobs did not attend this year’s shareholder meeting, underscoring criticism that the company had not provided sufficient disclosure about Jobs’ health.

General Motors
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reports quarterly earnings Thursday before the market opens. Analysts are expecting EPS of -7.40.

EPS of 17 cents is what analysts are expecting from MGM Mirage
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when it announces quarterly earnings Thursday morning.

Analysts are estimating that Sears Holding Corporation
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will report earnings per share of 2.68 Thursday before the bell.

Dell
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reports earnings Thursday after the market closes. Analysts are expecting EPS of 26 cents.

Dryships Inc.
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is expected to announce quarterly earnings per share of 0.66 when it reports Thursday after the bell.

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