As the season of financial announcements is slowing down, the list of major companies reporting earnings results this week is getting shorter. Nonetheless, investors will be watching closely the reports from leading U.S. retailers this week. Federated Department Stores Inc. (FD: chart), the largest U.S. upscale department store chain, and Home Depot Inc. (HD: chart), the leading home improvement chain, will announce their earnings on Tuesday. Home Depot’s closest rival, Lowe's Companies Inc. (LOW: chart), is scheduled to report its results a day later. Reports from apparel retailers Gap Inc. (GPS: chart) and Limited Brands Inc. (LTD: chart) are expected on Thursday. Among other big names on this week’s earnings calendar are J. C. Penney Company Inc. (JCP: chart), Kohl's Corporation (KSS: chart), Safeway Inc. (SWY: chart), and Staples Inc. (SPLS: chart). Apart from earnings, investors’ attention will also focus on economic data. The U.S. Consumer Price Index for January is due out on Wednesday. The CPI report will provide information on inflation at the retail price level. The Conference Board will release the consumer confidence index for February on Tuesday and the report on durable goods orders for January is expected on Thursday.

NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA: chart) announced Thursday strong quarterly and annual results, as the computer graphics chip designer continued to expand its business beyond the PC market into cell phones and consumer electronics. The Santa Clara, California-based company said that its earnings nearly doubled to $48 million, or 27 cents per share, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2005, compared with earnings of $24.2 million, or 14 cents per share, for the year-ago equivalent. The results powered past Wall Street’s mean forecast for earnings of 23 cents per share. For the quarter ended January 30, sales totaled $566.5 million, a 20% increase from year-ago sales of $472.1 million. Nvidia said unit shipments of its GeForce 6 graphics processing units more than doubled over the previous quarter. The NVIDIA nForce4 media and communication processor (MCP) set record sales growth during the fourth quarter by shipping nearly one million MCPs. The company said its results also reflect improved profit margins. For the full fiscal year, income jumped to $100.4 million, or 57 cents per share, from $74.4 million, or 43 cents per share, in 2004. Annual revenue advanced to $2.01 billion from $1.82 billion.

For the first quarter, Nvidia expects revenue to be flat to up 5% from the preceding quarter, which would beat analysts’ expectations of $533.6 million.

Nvidia shares dropped 23 cents to $25.51 at market close Thursday. The stock rocketed up 11.02% to $28.32 in after-market trade.

Intuit Inc. (INTU: chart) of Mountain View, California, reported Thursday a slight decrease in its quarterly profits, due to higher costs. The developer of finance software, including TurboTax and Quicken, posted second-quarter net income of $147.3 million, or 77 cents per share, down from $149.1 million, or 73 cents per share, last year. Earnings per share rose from a year ago, on fewer shares outstanding. On a pro forma basis, the company earned 82 cents per share for the quarter ended January 31, compared with 77 cents per share, last year. The average analysts’ estimate was for a profit of 76 cents per share. Revenue in the quarter climbed to $662.6 million from $633.4 million.

Looking ahead, Intuit lowered its third-quarter earnings guidance to a range of $1.42 to $1.47 per diluted share, excluding items, from an earlier outlook of $1.46 to $1.51 per share. The company cited increased investments for its revised outlook.

The stock closed Thursday at $40.11, up 6 cents, or 0.15%. Company shares dropped 32 cents to $39.79 in extended trading.

Allegheny Energy, Inc. (AYE: chart) posted Thursday a net profit of $72.4 million, or 48 cents per share, for its fiscal fourth quarter, jumping back from a prior-year loss of $13.7 million, or 11 cents per share. The Greensburg, Pennsylvania-based power company said results were fueled by a gain from the sale of its interest in the Ohio Valley Electric Corp. Excluding one-time items, earnings were $30 million, or 22 cents per share, meeting analysts’ projections. Quarterly revenue edged up 3% to $688.5 million, helped by customer increase and higher power prices.

Company shares slipped 0.45% to close Thursday at $20.02.

priceline.com Incorporated (PCLN: chart) of Norwalk, Connecticut, on Thursday rolled out quarterly earnings that more than doubled from a year ago, boosted by strength in airline and hotel bookings. The online travel company announced net income of $5 million, or 12 cents a share, for its fourth quarter, against net income of $2.23 million, or 6 cents a share, for the same period in 2003. Excluding items, profits came to $8.8 million, or 22 cents a share, sailing beyond the average analysts’ estimate of 16 cents a share. The company recorded revenue of $195 million in the quarter, up from $180.2 million, last year. Airline ticket bookings soared 61% from a year earlier, and hotel bookings jumped 51%. Rental car bookings climbed 16%.

The stock dipped 2.94% on Thursday to $21.14.

ValueClick, Inc. (VCLK: chart) said Thursday that it had net income of $13.5 million, or 16 cents per share, in its fiscal fourth quarter, in contrast to $5.35 million, or 7 cents per share, generated for the 2003 comparable period. Analysts had expected the online advertising company to earn 10 cents per share, on average. Westlake Village, California-based ValueClick attributed the results to higher revenue, which surged 80% from last year to $54.4 million.

Company shares inched up 2 cents to $12.70 at market close Thursday. The stock soared 4.96% to $13.33 in after-hours trading.