Stocks to Watch: Stocks to watch Wednesday: Cree, Tessco

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) � Among the stocks that could see active trade in Wednesday�s session are Cree Inc., Linear Technology Corp. and Tessco Technologies Inc.

Companies scheduled to report quarterly financial results include Goldman Sachs Group Inc. GS , U.S. Bancorp USB , PNC Financial Services Group Inc. PNC , Northern Trust Corp. NTRS , eBay Inc. EBAY , F5 Networks Inc. FFIV , Xilinx Inc. XLNX , Sanmina-SCI Corp. SANM , Fastenal Corp. FAST , H.B. Fuller Co. FUL �and Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP KMP , among others.

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Late Tuesday, Cree CREE �forecast a weaker profit for the third quarter ending March 25, on the heels of results for the second quarter of fiscal 2012 that featured narrower gross and operating margins. The maker of light-emitting diodes and electronic components reported a second-quarter net profit of $12.1 million, or 10 cents a share, down from $49.8 million, or 45 cents, earned a year earlier. Excluding items, quarterly earnings fell to 25 cents a share from the prior year�s 55 cents, as revenue rose 18% to $304.1 million. The Durham, N.C.-based company�s third-quarter forecast calls for gross margins to largely stabilize on a sequential basis.

Linear Technology LLTC �said it expects to generate third-quarter revenue growth of 4% to 8% on top of the $294.3 million in the second quarter ended Jan. 1. The Milpitas, Calif.-based maker of integrated circuits reported second-quarter earnings of 38 cents a share, generally in line with expectations. Linear Technology also said its board approved a quarterly dividend of 25 cents a share, a 4.2% increase. The new dividend will be paid Feb. 29 to shareholders of record as of Feb. 17.

Tessco Technologies TESS �said it now expects to generate earnings in a range of $1.90 to $2.10 a share for fiscal 2012, implying a profit of 30 cents to 50 cents a share for the fourth quarter. For the third quarter ended Dec. 25, the Hunt Valley, Md.-based provider to the wireless communication industry, today reported net income of $4.8 million, or 59 cents a share, on revenue of $226.3 million, up from nearly $3 million, or 38 cents, earned on revenue of $167.9 million in the year-earlier period.

BancorpSouth Inc. BXS �kicked off the sale of $100 million in common stock via an underwritten public offering. Net proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes, including maintaining capital levels and liquidity as well as making potential acquisitions, the Tupelo, Miss.-based company said. Underwriters will have a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 15% of common stock if investor demand warrants. BancorpSouth also reported fourth-quarter net income of $13.3 million, or 16 cents a share, down from $15.8 million, or 19 cents, earned in the final three months of 2010.

A Titan International Inc. subsidiary signed a three-year contract to supply Caterpillar Inc. CAT �with tires. The contract carries a minimum value of $100 million, the Quincy, Ill.-based company TWI � said.

Cash America International Inc. CSH �revised lower its 2011 earnings forecast, saying it now anticipates showing a profit of about $4.25 a share, implying 16% growth over 2010. In July, the Ft. Worth-based payday lender said it expected to earn between $4.28 and $4.48 a share for the year. Cash America also said revenue growth for the fourth quarter is likely to exceed 25% compared to the final three months of 2010. Management will discuss fourth-quarter earnings during a conference call Jan. 26, Cash America said.

Pulaski Financial Corp. PULB �said earnings for the second quarter would be below that which it earned in the first quarter ended Dec. 31. This would reflect �the usual seasonal decline in market demand for mortgage loan originations,� noted Gary Douglass, president and CEO of the St. Louis-based company. For fiscal 2012 as a whole, �we continue to expect meaningful year-over-year earnings improvement compared with fiscal 2011,� he said in a statement. Pulaski posted a first-quarter profit of $3 million, or 23 cents a share, off from $3.1 million, or 24 cents, earned in the year-earlier period.

American Water Works Co. AWK �updated investors on its earnings outlook for 2011 and laid out a preliminary profit target for 2012. The Voorhees, N.J.-based water and wastewater utility company said it expects earnings in the middle of its previously established range of $1.75 to $1.82 a share on an adjusted basis for 2011. And for 2012, American Water Works pegged a range of between $1.90 and $2 a share for ongoing earnings.