EARNINGS AND THE ECONOMY-"You are seeing stress out there"

LONDON, May 21 (Reuters) - Company executives' views on quarterly performance and the outlook for their markets was mixed when reporting earnings and at other events on Tuesday.

Following is a compilation of their comments:

HORMEL FOODS CORP (HRL.N)

"We have seen a continuation of some of the same trends we saw in the first quarter, as consumers seek value in retail channels while food service sales remain soft," said Jeffrey Ettinger, chief executive at the U.S. food manufacturer.

SUNTECH POWER HLDGS (STP.N)

"China's recently announced national solar subsidy, Japan's reintroduction of solar subsidies in 2009, and state incentive programs and the federal stimulus package in the U.S. should provide a strong foundation for mid-term growth," said Zhengrong Shi, chief executive at the Chinese solar energy company.

STEIN MART (SMRT.O)

"Despite a very difficult sales environment, first-quarter earnings improved due to tightly controlled inventories that enhanced merchandise margins, and significant expense reductions," said David Stovall, chief executive at the U.S. discount retailer.

CABLE & WIRELESS (CW.L)

"We're well aware that the recession provides a degree of uncertainty but our current view is that we have a robust set of plans that will allow us to progress further in 2009-10," said Richard Lapthorne, chairman of the British telecoms group.

INVESTEC (INLJ.J)

"The world did fall off a cliff ... you are seeing stress out there and I think this will be the order of the day for a while," said Stephen Koseff, chief executive at the South Africa-based investment bank.