Analyst upgrades:
- Citigroup upgraded Cooper Industries (NYSE: CBE) to Buy from Hold on valuation as it believes commercial construction concerns are well known. The firm raised its target on shares to $40 from $37, and coupled the upgrade with a downgrade of Rockwell Automation (NYSE: ROK) to Sell from Hold.
- Credit Suisse upgraded BJ Services (NYSE: BJS) to Neutral from Underperform following its acquisition by Baker Hughes (NYSE: BHI). The firm raised its target to $17.
- Credit Suisse also upgraded Amkor Technology (NASDAQ: AMKR) to Outperform from Neutral and raised its target to $8 from $7. The firm expects Amkor to benefit from near-term strength in the supply chain and the mix shift towards higher value packaging.
- Textron (NYSE: TXT) was upgraded to Conviction Buy from Neutral at Goldman.
- Siemens (NYSE: SI) was upgraded to Neutral from Sell at UBS.
- Stanley Works (NYSE: SWK) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Janney Montgomery.
Analyst downgrades:
- FBR Capital downgraded Smith International (NYSE: SII) to Market Perform from Outperform after it learned the company lost its contract with Petrobras (NYSE: PBR) in Brazil. FBR expects Smith to disappoint expectations due to market share loss in Brazil and lowered its target on shares to $38 from $50.
- Oppenheimer downgraded Novavax (NASDAQ: NVAX) to Perform from Outperform on valuation as it believes the promise of the company's VLP technology is priced in at current levels.
- Citigroup downgraded Rockwell Automation (NYSE: ROK) to Perform from Outperform on valuation and maintains a $32 price target on shares. The firm coupled this downgrade with an upgrade of Cooper Industries (NYSE: CBE) to Buy from Hold.
- D.R. Horton (NYSE: DHI) was downgraded to Sell from Neutral at UBS.
- Valspar (NYSE: VAL) was downgraded to Buy from Conviction Buy at Goldman.
- Hologic (NASDAQ: HOLX) was downgraded to Hold from Speculative Buy at Canaccord.
Analyst initiations:
- Jefferies believes Fossil's (NASDAQ: FOSL) business model is well diversified and expects increased U.S. retail and international penetration to raise margins. The firm started shares with a Buy rating and $32 target.
- Genzyme (NASDAQ: GENZ) and Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD) were reinstated with Buy ratings at BofA/Merrill.
- Thomas Weisel initiated BPZ Resources (AMEX: BPZ) with an Overweight rating and $10.50 target. The firm thinks the stock's valuation is attractive, while the Albacora field is a potential "game changer" for the company that can more than triple its 2P oil reserves base.
- Rowan Companies (NYSE: RDC) was initiated with a Market Perform rating at BMO Capital.
- Anixter (NYSE: AXE) was initiated with an Outperform rating at Morgan Keegan.
- Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF) was initiated with a Market Perform rating at Raymond James.
Closing Bell: When We All Love the PIIGS (NBG, SQNM, PG, ERTS, KO)
Serious Money: Cheapest Stocks List Shrinks from 26 to 21
Chasing Value: Hasbro Earnings Makes My Point
