MOST NOTEWORTHY: Wachovia, Deutsche Bank and Pearson plc were today's noteworthy downgrades:
- UBS believes it is increasingly likely that Wachovia Bank (NYSE: WB) will need to raise capital. The firm said the company may need to raise $5B in equity and cuts its dividend to 1c, which will save $3B annually. UBS cut shares to Neutral from Buy and lowered its 2008 EPS estimate to ($1.98).
- Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Deutsche Bank (NYSE: DB) to Underweight from Equal Weight as they believe DB may have to increase its tier 1 ratio, which could lead to dividend cuts or asset sales.
- Deutsche Bank downgraded Pearson (NYSE: PSO) to Sell from Hold as they believe the weak funding environment for Education will slow earnings growth.
OTHER DOWNGRADES: