This morning, Wal-Mart Stores (NYSE: WMT) reported first quarter earnings per share of $1.09, a 12.4% increase from last year. The retail giant's sales also improved, increasing 8.6% to $112.3 billion. Shares of Wal-Mart appreciated more than 5% ...

The annual Ira Sohn Investment Conference was held in New York on Wednesday. At the event, which supports the treatment and cure of pediatric cancer, many of the world's most successful hedge fund managers and other noteworthy investors pitch stock ideas to their colleagues. The investment ideas presented at Ira Sohn frequently cause large price moves in the individual stocks being discussed, and the 2012 conference was no exception.

Among the heavy-hitters that presented this year were Greenlight Capital founder David Einhorn, Pershing Square founder Bill Ackman and Paulson & Co. chief John Paulson. Below, Benzinga recounts the stocks they discussed in their presentations and how those names are faring on Thursday.

David Einhorn - In today's markets, this boyish looking hedge fund manager may be the most influential voice when it comes to individual stocks. Einhorn's short bets on companies such as Lehman Brothers and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (NASDAQ: GMCR) have brought him great sway on Wall Street. While Einhorn isn't always right, when he is, it is usually in dramatic fashion.

When the Greenlight Capital manager did not mention Herbalife (NYSE: HLF) as a potential short candidate, that stock skyrocketed on Wednesday. Herbalife shares finished up 16.66% to $49.51. On Thursday, however, HLF is retracing some of yesterday's gains and at last check was trading down 6.00% to $46.53.

Previously, HLF had plunged after Einhorn asked some pointed question on an earnings conference call. The presence of the hedge fund manager on the call was enough to spook investors who had feared that Einhorn may be targeting the company on the short side.

Other companies that he addressed included Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) whose future he described as a "riddle." While Amazon has been tremendously successful, its earnings multiple is also stratospheric for such a large company.

The hedge fund manager made bearish comments on a couple of other names including Martin Marietta (NYSE: MLM) and Dick's Sporting Goods (NYSE: DKS). Both of those stocks are continuing to fall on Thursday. ...

David Einhorn of Greenlight Capital is not a popular man within the offices of Martin Marietta Materials (NYSE: MLM), after he slammed the company at the annual Ira Sohn Investment Conference, causing it to instantly tank 10%. It is currently trading down 8%.

"Recent earnings benefited from one time fiscal stimulus that is about to wind down," Einhorn said at the conference, obviously deciding that MLM is his new favorite company to short.

The rumor earlier in the day had been that Einhorn was going to short Herbalife (NYSE: HLF), but that company's stock is surging 9% on Thursday.

The scary thing for MLM is that Einhorn is rarely wrong. He famously shorted Lehman Brothers just prior to that bank's demise, and more recently he shorted Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (NASDAQ: GMCR).

However, Martin Marietta responded to the comments directly to Benzinga, telling us ...

In recent years, traders and investors have increasingly turned to social media to discuss their investments. Now, interested parties can get a scientific look at what is being discussed on a weekly, monthly, and even hourly basis.

Provided by Social Market Analytics, here is the social media outlook for Thursday, May 17.

Most Bullish

Pharmacyclics (NASDAQ: PCYC) is trading up over 3%. Rodman & Renshaw boosted the company's price target.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE: DRI)

Most Bearish

Martin Marietta (NYSE: MLM) is trading down about 1.25%. Yesterday, shares plunged when hedge fund ...

Teekay Tankers (NYSE: TNK) reports first-quarter EPS of $0.04 versus the ...

Russia's Aeroflot reported a strong rise in its net profit in 2011.

Aeroflot's profit for the period surged to $491 million, ...

Computer Sciences Corp (NYSE: CSC) swung to a loss in the fourth quarter.

CSC posted a quarterly loss of ...

GameStop Corp (NYSE: GME) reported a drop in its profit and sales in the first quarter.

GameStop's quarterly total revenue ...

Perry Ellis International Inc (NASDAQ: PERY) reported stronger-than-expected first-quarter profit.

Perry Ellis' quarterly net income dropped to $9.7 million, or $0.64 per share, versus ...

Stein Mart Inc (NASDAQ: SMRT) reported a drop in its first-quarter profit.

Stein Mart's quaretrly profit declined to $11.8 million, or ...