4 Dates to Circle in May

May 4
Changyou.com (Nasdaq: CYOU) reports on
Monday. Even if you're not familiar with the Chinese online gaming
company, its performance will be a worthy measuring stick on many
different levels.

going public a month ago, so it's got little room to disappoint in its first quarter as a public company.Only four companies
have gone public this year; demand for future IPOs may hinge on how
this year's debutantes pan out.Expectations are high, with analysts
expecting profits to nearly double to $0.60 a share. If that leads you
to believe that Changyou is probably priced at a rich multiple, you're
wrong. It's fetching just 14 times last year's profitability, and only
10 times next year's target. 

As a member of the Motley Fool Rule Breakers analyst team, Changyou's report is also a "must watch" performance, since I recommended Changyou parent Sohu.com (Nasdaq: SOHU) to subscribers several months ago. Sohu maintains a majority stake in the company.

May 7
Sirius XM Radio (Nasdaq: SIRI) reports Thursday morning. After the company closed out last year's final quarter with just 82,945 more subscribers
than it started with, investors can't be blamed for getting nervous. A
rate hike on secondary accounts, a soft economy, and the moribund auto
market aren't exactly catalysts for new signups. Unless the company had
a decent chunk of holiday buyers belatedly activate their receivers in
January, this may be the first quarter in the company's history in
which it actually sheds subscribers sequentially. In Sirius XM's
defense, healthier-than-expected cash flow should help offset any
potential weakness on the subscriber front.

May 8
Star Trek opens at a multiplex near you, which could be huge for Viacom
's (NYSE: VIA) Paramount. The franchise has faded in recent years, but
now the studio is taking a novel approach to reposition the classic
sci-fi series, bringing in Lost mastermind J.J. Abrams and a
young cast to win over a new -- and perhaps wider -- audience. No one
will confuse Viacom's vault of characters with Marvel 's (Nasdaq: MVL) fleet, but this could be the renaissance that Viacom needs on the theatrical front.

May 29
Disney 's (NYSE: DIS) Up hits theaters. It's the latest Pixar release, and a lot is riding on this animated feature. Pixar's recent releases like Wall-E and Ratatouille
have been critically acclaimed winners, but their financial success has
still fallen short at the box office when compared to the company's
earlier hits. DreamWorks Animation (Nasdaq: DWA) has
also been stealing some of Pixar's thunder as the only stand-alone
computer animation company trading on the public markets. DreamWorks
posted better-than-expected quarterly results this week. 

Up will also be challenged for its lack of female
characters, and for banking on an elderly curmudgeon as its lead. Pixar
spins moviemaking gold, but will the audiences show -- pardon the pun
-- Up?

May will reveal all.

Some other reads to get you through the month:

3 Reasons Why the Dow Won't Hit 5,000What Will Sirius Reveal?You're All Hypocrites

© 2009 UCLICK, L.L.C.