ARO posts
FeedPosted Nov 12th 2009 11:00AM by Eric Buscemi (RSS feed)
Filed under: Analyst reports, Analyst upgrades and downgrades, Analyst initiations
Analyst upgrades:
- Goldman upgraded Aeropostale (ARO) to neutral from sell. The firm, which has a $34 target on the stock, cites the recent sell-off in shares for the upgrade.
- Janney Montgomery upgraded Consolidated Water (CWCO) to buy from neutral on valuation and on expectations the company's earnings will recover in 2010. The firm has a $15 target on the stock.
- Wunderlich upgraded Transmontaigne Partners (TLP) to buy from hold on valuation as it believes the sell-off on the company's Q3 results is overdone. The firm keeps a $26.50 price target on the stock.
- Mobile TeleSystems (MBT) was upgraded to buy from neutral at UBS.
- HSBC (HBC) was raised to buy from hold at Societe Generale.
- Redwood Trust (RWT) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at JMP Securities.
Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ARO, AZN, BNI, BRCD, HBC, MRK, TIF ...
Posted Nov 6th 2009 11:20AM by Eric Buscemi (RSS feed)
Filed under: Analyst reports, Analyst upgrades and downgrades, General Electric (GE), Amazon.com (AMZN), CBS Corp 'B' (CBS), Analyst initiations, Deere and Co (DE)
Analyst upgrades:
- Bernstein upgraded General Electric (NYSE: GE) to Outperform from Market Perform Thursday after the close. The firm sees an improved risk/reward on the stock and raised its price target to $19 from $18.
- Bernstein also upgraded Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) to Outperform from Market Perform as it believes sales growth and margin expansion expectations are too low. The firm raised its target on shares to $160 from $125.
- Piper Jaffray upgraded CBS (NYSE: CBS) to Neutral from Underweight following the company's Q3 results and raised its target on shares to $13 from $12.
- JPMorgan upgraded Macy's (NYSE: M) to Overweight from Neutral to reflect the company's improving comps. The firm has a $23 target on the stock.
- Ansys (NASDAQ: ANSS) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Jefferies.
- Travelers (NYSE: TRV) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Goldman.
- Air Methods (NASDAQ: AIRM) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Stephens.
Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AMZN, CBS, CVS, DE, GE, M, TRV ...
Posted Oct 26th 2009 10:40AM by Trey Thoelcke (RSS feed)
Filed under: Analyst upgrades and downgrades, Microsoft (MSFT), Analyst initiations
Analyst upgrades:
- Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) was upgraded to Buy from Hold by Canaccord, which cited the company's strong Q1 results.
- Pali Capital raised T. Rowe Price (NASDAQ: TROW) to Neutral from Sell following the company's better-than-expected Q3 results.
- Under Armour (NYSE: UA) was upgraded to Neutral from Negative at Susquehanna following positive checks ahead of the company's Tuesday's Q3 report.
- Stifel Nicolaus raised American Express (NYSE: AXP) to Buy from Hold, as the firm thinks the company is close to reaching "normalized" earnings.
- Goldman Sachs upgraded Garmin (NASDAQ: GRMN) to Sell from Conviction Sell.
- RBC Capital upgraded Noble Energy (NYSE: NBL) to Outperform from Sector Perform.
- American Superconductor (NASDAQ: AMSC) was upgraded to Outperform from Sector Perform by Pacific Crest.
Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AXP, BHP, KBH, MSFT, TROW, USB ...
Posted Oct 16th 2009 11:40AM by Eric Buscemi (RSS feed)
Filed under: Analyst reports, Analyst upgrades and downgrades, Google (GOOG), Walgreen Co (WAG), Harley-Davidson (HOG), Analyst initiations
Analyst upgrades:
- Keefe Bruyette upgraded Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE) to Outperform from Market Perform on expectations that derivatives trading will increase in the coming quarters.
- NutriSystem (NASDAQ: NTRI) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral by Janney Montgomery, which believes that the company's earnings have hit bottom, while the company could report better-than-expected Q1 results.
- Harley-Davidson (NYSE: HOG) was upgraded to Outperform from Sector Perform at RBC Capital. The firm thinks the company is an early-cycle story that has significant upside potential.
- UBS upgraded Walgreen (NYSE: WAG) to Buy from Neutral citing cost cutting efforts and slowing store growth.
- Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Benchmark Co.
- Safeway (NYSE: SWY) was upgraded to Buy from Hold by BB&T.
- Needham upgraded Targacept (NASDAQ: TRGT) to Buy from Hold.
- Sierra Wireless (NASDAQ: SWIR) was raised to Buy from Hold at Jesup & Lamont.
Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: GOOG, HOG, NOK, SWY, WAG, WSM ...
Posted Oct 9th 2009 11:50AM by Eric Buscemi (RSS feed)
Filed under: Analyst reports, Analyst upgrades and downgrades, Viacom (VIA), JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY), Dean Foods (DF), Research in Motion (RIMM), Starwood Hotels Worldwide (HOT), Marriott Intl'A' (MAR), Analyst initiations
Analyst upgrades:
- Piper Jaffray upgraded Viacom (NYSE:VIA) to Overweight from Neutral to reflect the improving ad market and better ratings at key cable networks. The firm raised its target on shares to $35 from $29.
- Baird upgraded Research in Motion (NASDAQ:RIMM) to Outperform from Neutral on valuation as it views the recent weakness as a buying opportunity. The firm keeps an $84 price target on shares.
- Jefferies upgraded Usana (NASDAQ:USNA) to Buy from Hold as it believes direct selling companies have been gaining momentum. The firm raised its target on shares to $44 from $37.
- AK Steel (NYSE:AKS) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Deutsche Bank.
- First Merit (NASDAQ:FMER) was upgraded to Perform from Underperform at Oppenheimer.
- Spectra Energy (NYSE:SE) was upgraded to Conviction Buy from Neutral at Goldman.
Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: VIA, RIMM, ARO, JPM, BMY
Posted Oct 7th 2009 11:20AM by Eric Buscemi (RSS feed)
Filed under: Analyst reports, Analyst upgrades and downgrades, Cisco Systems (CSCO), Coca-Cola (KO), Walt Disney (DIS), Analyst initiations
Analyst upgrades:
- Deutsche Bank upgraded Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) to Buy from Hold on expectations that stable volumes and a better outlook for currency and commodities will lead to higher earnings visibility. The firm raised its price target on shares to $62 from $52.
- FBR Capital upgraded Goodrich (NYSE: GR) to Outperform from Market Perform as it finds the stock's valuation compelling following the recent pullback. The firm raised its target on shares to $65 from $46.
- William Blair upgraded Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) to Outperform from Market Perform after channel checks indicated demand is accelerating as the firm finds the stock's valuation compelling at current levels.
- Robbins & Myers (NYSE: RBN) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Baird.
- Disney (NYSE: DIS) and Viacom B (NYSE: VIA.B) were upgraded to Neutral from Underperform at BofA/Merrill, while News Corp. (NASDAQ: NWS) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral.
Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ANN, DIS, CSCO, KO, NWS, PETM, ULTA ...
Posted Sep 17th 2009 1:00PM by Joseph Lazzaro (RSS feed)
Filed under: Burger King Hldgs (BKC)
There are no sure-fire gains in trading or investing, even if the company's/sector's data is pointing to a move higher or lower. The short of Aeropostale (NYSE: ARO), recommended on May 15, 2009 at a price of $31, has been stopped out at $42, and the short of Burger King (NYSE: BKC), recommended on the same day at a price of $17.35, has failed to make the new lows envisioned.
Aeropostale posted record Q2 results, and recently announced a 9% increase in August same-store sales, despite a cluttered sector (young-teenager casual apparel, accessories), and the "frugal consumer" era.
Continue reading Short City Update: Aeropostale, stopped out; Burger King, cover short
Posted Aug 24th 2009 11:00AM by Steven Halpern (RSS feed)
Filed under: Newsletters, Technical Analysis, Stocks to Buy, Recession
"With high-quality stocks on sale, now seems an opportune time to look for bargains among small and midcap blue chips," suggests Richard Moroney.
In his Upside Stocks advisory, which uses the quantitative-based Quadrix ratings system, he says, "We've found several 'Best Buys' with superior year-ahead potential."
Here, the analyst looks at Aeropostale (NYSE: ARO), Catalyst Health (NASDAQ: CHSI) and Hornbeck Offshore (NYSE: HOS).
Continue reading Quant picks: A trio of ' best buys'
Posted Aug 22nd 2009 12:10PM by Trey Thoelcke (RSS feed)
Filed under: Earnings reports, Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), Home Depot (HD), Target Corp. (TGT), Penney (J.C.) (JCP), Agilent Technologies (A), Sears Holdings (SHLD), Lowe's Cos (LOW), Limited Brands (LTD), Deere and Co (DE), salesforce.com inc (CRM), Trina Solar ADS (TSL)
Continue reading Earnings highlights: B&N, Deere, Heinz, Home Depot, HP, Sears, Target ...
Posted Aug 21st 2009 1:20PM by Steven Mallas (RSS feed)
Filed under: Earnings reports, Gap Inc (GPS), Abercrombie and Fitch (ANF), American Eagle Outfitters (AEO)
Aeropostale (NYSE: ARO), a retailer that competes with Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF), American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE: AEO), and Gap (NYSE: GPS), posted what I thought was a superb second-quarter earnings summary on Thursday after the bell. The figures were very appealing, and I would've expected a better after-hours reaction by the stock to the news. Then again, the market can never be predicted. It will do whatever the heck it wants.
Net sales increased 20%. Not bad, am I right? Wait, check this out. Earnings per share came in at 57 cents, compared to the 31 cents reported in the year-ago quarter. According to Reuters, that was a penny ahead of expectations. But that penny beat on the bottom line isn't what impresses me the most. It's the strong per-share profit expansion that I find compelling.
Continue reading Aeropostale posts a sharp increase in Q2 profit
Posted Aug 16th 2009 12:30PM by Trey Thoelcke (RSS feed)
Filed under: Earnings reports, Forecasts, Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), Sears Holdings (SHLD)
Last week we looked at expectations for some retail earnings. More shopping mall favorites are reporting second-quarter results this week, and analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are looking for significant earnings growth from some of them.
Aeropostale Inc. (NYSE: ARO), the teen-focused retailer spun off from Macy's (NYSE: M) in 1998, is expected to post a second-quarter profit that is 44.6% higher than a year ago, or $0.56 per share. Revenue for the quarter is expected to be 19.7% higher, or $451.3 million. For the full year, the forecast so far is for $2.98 per share (+25.8%) on $2.2 billion (+14.6%). Earnings of the New York-based company have matched estimates in recent quarters. The long-term EPS growth forecast is 13.9%, which is better than the retail industry average and rival Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF). Aeropostale's earnings multiple is 12x, and this debt-free company's cash flow from operations swung into positive territory in the first quarter. The First Call consensus recommendation is to buy ARO; The Motley Fool identified it as a Wall Street favorite. Shares are down a couple of bucks from the 52-week high of $38.74 back in July, but are still 123.0% higher year to date.
Continue reading The week in preview: More retail results (and a few techs too)
Posted Aug 10th 2009 10:00AM by Jim Cramer (RSS feed)
Filed under: Market matters, Lennar Corp'A' (LEN), Cramer on BloggingStocks
TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says the presumption remains that we're doing badly. I disagree and will place my bets. As a bull who feels like he's "won" of late, I am about as sure of myself as a gambler who has just had a couple of blackjacks, meaning that I expect to be given a 16 any week now. That doesn't mean you can't play out of a 16, especially when the dealer's got something similar. It does mean you have to be at the table.
I use the analogy because there's something about the "hotness" of this market after the employment number that flies in the face of what could happen if the big gains in the economy truly are all government and not private sector, especially if you look at the charts, which reveal an overextended and expensive market. The charts say we're about to stall out, and it bothers me because they've said that all the way up. And it bothers me because literally everyone I respect in this business -- except Steve Leuthold -- has emerged with a consensus view that the economy without stimulation would be near collapse, and even with stimulation will collapse anyway because of all the debt taken down to stimulate.
Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: Staying at the table
Next Page >