• Citigroup upgraded Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) to Buy from Hold after meeting with management as it believes a more aggressive strategy will lead to the company regaining market share. Citi raised its target on shares to $66 from $54.
  
• Piper Jaffray upgraded Allscripts (NASDAQ:MDRX) to Overweight from Neutral after learning the company signed a large contract with North Shore Long Island Jewish Hospital. Piper now sees upside to estimates and raised its target on shares to $22.50 from $14.
  
• UBS upgraded Amedisys (NASDAQ:AMED) to Buy from Neutral following a review of the Senate Finance Committee's healthcare proposal, which they view as "benign." The firm raised its target to $57 from $46.
• Daimler (NYSE:DAI) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Bernstein.
  
• Boston Private (NASDAQ:BPFH) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Keefe Bruyette.
  
• E-Trade (NASDAQ:ETFC) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Goldman.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Citigroup upgraded shares of Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO) to Buy from Hold as they believe Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) is unlikely to walk away from Yahoo! and that there is potential Microsoft could bid $34/share.
  
• Credit Suisse upgraded Cigna (NYSE: CI) to Outperform from Neutral citing the company's favorable business mix.
  
• Stephens upgraded shares of Aegean Marine (NYSE: ANW) to Overweight from Equal Weight on valuation as they see an attractive entry point at current levels.

• JMP Securities raised D.R. Horton (NYSE: DHI) to Strong Buy from Outperform and Pulte Homes (NYSE: PHM) to Outperform from Market Perform.
  
• Goldman added Hertz Global (NYSE: HTZ) and Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) to its Conviction Buy List.

Analyst upgrades: YHOO, CI, DHI, HTZ and ERTS originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you're operating an ocean-going or coastal ship and need to refuel, Aegean Marine Petroleum Network Inc. (NYSE: ANW) may be able to help you out. This Greek company supplies fuel and lubricants for marine vessels, and performs refueling at sea. It owns a fleet of tankers to service its customers, which include the U.S. Navy and commercial ship owners, as well as fuel brokers. Its service centers are located in Greece, Gibraltar, the United Arab Emirates and Jamaica, which allow it to service ships across the Atlantic.

ANW just went public in December, with an IPO price of $14. It got as high as $17 at the end of January but dropped back after that, and is now trading just above $15. I think this is a company with a very bright future, and I think it's a strong buy right now.

ANW's revenues have been climbing steadily since 2004; operating income in 2005 was 25% higher than it was in 2004, and it was up 30% again in 2006. The growth in net income for 2006 was a bit lower at 15.5%, but those are still solid numbers for a growing company. Indeed, revenues in 2006 were up 55% over 2005, and as the company adjusts to its growth, I think we'll see the profits grow even more.

Continue reading Aegean Marine Petroleum Network: Refuel your portfolio

Aegean Marine Petroleum Network: Refuel your portfolio originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 07 Mar 2007 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.