Coca-Cola (KO) has more than $13 billion in cash.

The top five companies (according to market cap) are:

• Exxon Mobil (XOM): $398.3 billion
• Apple (AAPL): $309.0 billion
• Microsoft (MSFT): $237.5 billion
• General Electric (GE): $215.0 billion
• Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A): $202.5 billion

Continue reading Comfort Zone Investing: Did You Know ... ?

Comfort Zone Investing: Did You Know ... ? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 05 Feb 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Wall Street investment banks are prepping for a nice rebound in tech IPOs this year. And yes, they are already filing offerings. One of the first is Boingo Wireless, which is a leader in wi-fi access. The company hopes to raise $75 million.

In all, Boingo has 211,000 wi-fi locations in over 100 countries. Many are found in places like airports, malls, coffee shops, stadiums and hotels. Over the past 12 months, Boingo has seen more than 1.3 million Net users purchase its service.

Continue reading Boingo Tries for an IPO

Boingo Tries for an IPO originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 18 Jan 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• NYSE Euronex (NYX) to conviction buy from neutral at Goldman.
• General Dynamics (GD) to buy from hold at Citigroup.
• Deere (DE), Parker-Hannifin (PH) and ExlService (EXLS) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Aflac (AFL) to outperform from market perform at FBR Capital.
• Wynn Resorts (WYNN) to buy from neutral at Janney Capital.
• Amdocs (DOX) to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Juniper (JNPR) to buy from hold at ThinkEquity.
• Rudolph Tech (RTEC) and KLA-Tencor (KLAC) to perform from underperform at Oppenheimer.
• Hershey (HSY) and Pinnacle Entertainment (PNK) to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo.
• Spirit AeroSystems (SPR) to equal weight from underweight at Morgan Stanley.
• Micron (MU) to outperform from neutral at RW Baird.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AFL, DE, DOX, GD, GS, HSY, ITT, MS, NYX, TXN, UBS, WYNN ...

Analyst Calls: AFL, DE, DOX, GD, GS, HSY, ITT, MS, NYX, TXN, UBS, WYNN ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: The Return... (ATHR, QCOM, T, FDO, MOS, NVDA, TRID)

Closing Bell: The Return... (ATHR, QCOM, T, FDO, MOS, NVDA, TRID) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• TCF Financial (TCB) to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• Exelon (EXC) to market perform from underperform at Wells Fargo.
• Nvidia (NVDA) and Boyd Gaming (BYD) upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• Estee Lauder (EL) to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Webster Financial (WBS) to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• Skilled Healthcare (SKH) to outperform from market perform at Morgan Keegan.
• Acorda Therapeutics (ACOR) to outperform from market perform at Leerink.
• NCR Corp. (NCR) to outperform from neutral at Wedbush.
• Barnes & Noble (BKS) to neutral from underperform and Pioneer Natural (PXD) to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.
• Autodesk (ADSK) to buy from neutral at Goldman.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AA, AAPL, ATHR, BKS, CL, CLX, EL, HBAN, NCR, NVDA, XRTX ...

Analyst Calls: AA, AAPL, ATHR, BKS, CL, CLX, EL, HBAN, NCR, NVDA, XRTX ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Qualcomm (QCOM) is spreading its wings. It said Wednesday it has agreed to purchase Atheros Communications (ATHR) for $3.2 billion, as reported by the Associated Press. Why is Qualcomm making this deal? What are the advantages to the company?

Qualcomm is a big player in supplying chips to wireless phones. It has been looking to put its products in tablets and social notebook computers.

Continue reading Qualcomm to Purchase Atheros for $3.2 Billion

Qualcomm to Purchase Atheros for $3.2 Billion originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Molycorp (MCP) closed up 6% after China announced last week the lowering of its rare earth export quotas for early 2011. January 60, 65 calls and January 55 puts were active with total option volume of approximately 54K contracts. January call option implied volatility is at 80, puts are at 103; above its five-month average of 67 according to Track Data. Elevated put volatility suggests shares are difficult to borrow.

Atheros (ATHR) rallied 19% after CNBC reported that Atheros is close to being bought by Qualcomm (QCOM) for approximately $45 per share. Options were active according to Track Data.

Options Update is by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

Options Update: Molycorp Put Volatility Elevated originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: Mixed Second Day of 2011 (ATHR, QCOM, GM, GLD, WFMI, XOMA)

Closing Bell: Mixed Second Day of 2011 (ATHR, QCOM, GM, GLD, WFMI, XOMA) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Verisk (VRSK) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo.
• Marriott (MAR) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Bernstein.
• Jefferies upgraded Teekay (TK) and Tsakos Energy (TNP) to Buy from Hold.
• Cadence Design (CDNS) was upgraded to sector perform from underperform at RBC Capital.
• BofA/Merrill upgraded NV Energy (NVE) to buy from underperform and Education Realty Trust (EDR) to neutral from underperform.
• Men's Wearhouse (MW) was upgraded to buy from hold at Stifel.
• William Blair upgraded Atheros (ATHR) to outperform from market perform.
• Freeport McMoran (FCX) was upgraded to buy from hold at Argus.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: CTV, CVX, EAT, FCX, ICE, MAR, MW, TRV, WLP ...

Analyst Calls: CTV, CVX, EAT, FCX, ICE, MAR, MW, TRV, WLP ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• ThinkEquity upgraded Yahoo! (YHOO) to Buy from Hold based on valuation, checks that indicate Q2 display/search improvement, search stabilization, improved cost structure, and share repurchases.
• Societe Generale upgraded Roche Holding (RHHBY) to Buy from Hold based on expectations Avastin will be approved in breast cancer, despite negative FDA briefing documents.
• FBR Capital upgraded Atheros (ATHR) to Outperform from Market Perform based on valuation and positive checks that indicate powerline networking chips are gaining traction in China. The firm has a $43 price target on the stock.
• Juniper (JNPR) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Canaccord.
• Ultimate Software (ULTI) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Roth Capital.
• Liberty Property Trust (LRY) was upgraded to Market Perform at Wells Fargo.

• Auriga downgraded ADC Telecomm (ADCT) to Hold from Buy following the company's merger announcement with Tyco Electronics (TEL).
• TD Newcrest expects Manulife's (MFC) Q2 loss to be worse than expected due to the impact from lower interest rates. The firm cut shares to Hold from Buy.
• Goldman downgraded Perrigo (PRGO) to Sell from Neutral and lowered its target to $50 from $61. The firm cites relative valuation for the downgrade. Target to $50 from $61.
• F5 Networks (FFIV) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Canaccord.
• Anglo American (AAUKY) and BHP Billiton (BHP) were downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Credit Suisse.

• QKL Stores (QKLS) was initiated with a Buy rating and $7 price target at Global Hunter.
• Rodman & Renshaw started Rick's Cabaret (RICK) with an Outperform rating.

Analyst Calls: YHOO, ATHR, JNPR, ADCT, MFC, BHP, AAUKY, RHHBY originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 19 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• JPMorgan upgraded Norfolk Southern (NSC) to overweight from neutral, citing the company's leverage to coal and position relative to peers. The firm has a $68 price target for shares.
• Benchmark upgraded Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A) to hold from sell based on a more favorable earnings outlook and reduced dividend risk.
• UBS upgraded Costco (COST) to buy from neutral based on valuation. The firm raised its price target to $63 from $62.
• Visa (V) was upgraded to gonviction buy from buy at Goldman.
• KLA-Tencor (KLAC) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.
• Texas Instruments (TXN) was upgraded to outperform from perform at Oppenheimer.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AMD, BBY, COST, INTC, MRVL, MYGN, NSC, RDS.A, TXN, V ...

Analyst Calls: AMD, BBY, COST, INTC, MRVL, MYGN, NSC, RDS.A, TXN, V ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 09 Jul 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Deutsche Bank upgraded CME Group (CME) to buy from hold to reflect valuation and the company's improving trends. The firm raised its target price for shares to $325 from $320.
• JPMorgan upgraded Big Lots (BIG) to overweight from neutral. The firm believes the company's stabilizing comps and accelerating square foot growth should drive multiple expansion and raised its target price for shares to $38.
• Soleil upgraded PacWest Bancorp (PACW) to buy from hold as it views the company's bulk loan sale positively. The firm has a $24.50 target on the stock.
• Clean Harbors (CLH) was upgraded to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Skilled Healthcare (SKH) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Leerink.
• FARO Tech (FARO) was upgraded to buy from hold at Needham.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: BIG, CME, GME, GOOG, INTC, PALM, YHOO ...

Analyst Calls: BIG, CME, GME, GOOG, INTC, PALM, YHOO ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 25 Feb 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Keefe Bruyette upgraded TD AmeriTrade (AMTD) to outperform from market perform on valuation following the recent sell-off in shares. The firm has a $22.50 price target on the stock.
• Stifel upgraded Saia (SAIA) to buy from hold based on valuation, operating leverage and increased possibility of a large industry consolidation event in the next few months. The firm has an $18 target on the stock.
• Citigroup upgraded Atlas Pipeline Holdings (AHD) to hold from sell to reflect valuation and an improved outlook for commodity prices. The firm raised its target on shares to $6 from 50 cents.
• Manpower (MAN) was upgraded to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• IAMGOLD (IAG) was upgraded to buy from neutral at UBS.

Continue reading Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades and Initiations: AMTD, AOL, CHTT, CSC, IMAX, SAIA, WRC ...

Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades and Initiations: AMTD, AOL, CHTT, CSC, IMAX, SAIA, WRC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Dec 2009 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

So far this year, the shares of Atheros Communications (NASDAQ: ATHR) have performed quite nicely, almost doubling. The company develops sophisticated semiconductor solutions for wireless and wired communications.

Now, Atheros wants to bulk up; that is, the company has agreed to pay $244 million for Intellon (NASDAQ: ITLN).

Continue reading Atheros looks for a home run with Intellon

Atheros looks for a home run with Intellon originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 08 Sep 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This post was written by Minyanville contributor Sean Udall. Sean holds position in RIMM, VMW, SUPX.

• Goldman Sachs upgraded Research in Motion (NASDAQ:RIMM)saying to buy in front of EPS. I couldn't agree more and in fact was going to say that today. Be that as it may, I doubled my RIMM long into yesterday's weakness and plan to hold into/through EPS report. My quick take is that RIMM could have one of the better reports relative to all the negative analyst actions and commentary in tech and the overall market.
  
  
• One of my themes for this upcoming EPS season is to look for stocks that have had the most negative analyst commentary coming into the quarter, as no one these days is looking at things like Price/Sales, Price/Book or Price to normalized earnings.
  
  

Continue reading Early thoughts on the tech sector

Early thoughts on the tech sector originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 26 Mar 2009 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Roth Capital upgraded Charlotte Russe (NASDAQ: CHIC) to Hold from Sell. The firm is positive on management's strategy to drive improved operating performance and is encouraged by the company's longer-term growth prospects.
  
• Banc of America upgraded shares of Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) to Neutral from Sell following the company's capital raise as they see a more balanced risk/reward at current levels. The firm lowered their target to $5 from $12.
  
• Constellation Brands (NYSE: STZ) was raised to Buy from Neutral at UBS.
  
• Credit Suisse upgraded Ameriprise (NYSE: AMP) to Outperform from Neutral.
  
• Bob Evans (NASDAQ: BOBE) was upgraded to Hold from Underweight at KeyBanc.
• J. Sainsbury (OTC: JSAIY) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at ING and to Neutral from Underweight at JP Morgan after the company topped earnings expectations.

• JP Morgan downgraded General Motors (NYSE: GM) to Neutral from Overweight citing the "ambiguity of government aid structure" and the likely dilution to equity. The analyst said GM needs money now to get past December 2008 and will need at least $15B to get through 2009, with the total bailout potentially reaching $30B.
  
• Goldman downgraded Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) to Sell from Neutral and added shares to the Conviction Sell List.
  
• J.C. Penney (NYSE: JCP) was lowered to Equal Weight from Overweight at Morgan Stanley.

Continue reading Analyst calls: LVS, GM, DELL, JCP, PALM, AXP, CHIC, STZ, AMP, BOBE

Analyst calls: LVS, GM, DELL, JCP, PALM, AXP, CHIC, STZ, AMP, BOBE originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 13 Nov 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Wachovia upgraded Abbott Lab (NYSE: ABT) to Outperform from Market Perform as they believe their earlier concerns have been addressed. Past concerns included the potential for a negative outcome from the FDA panel on Xience and slowing prescription growth of lead drug Humira.
  
• Fannie Mae (NYSE: FNM) and Freddie Mac (NYSE: FRE) were raised to Outperform from Market Perform at Keefe Bruyette citing recent government actions to stabilize the mortgage markets.
  
• Micromet (NASDAQ: MITI) was upgraded at RBC Capital to Outperform from Sector Perform as they expect positive data for its lead candidate, MT103, by year-end.

• ThinkEquity raised Atheros Comm (NASDAQ: ATHR) to Buy from Accumulate.
  
• Goldman upgraded US Steel (NYSE: X) to Buy from Neutral.
  
• General Electric (NYSE: GE) was upgraded at Merrill to Buy from Neutral.

Analyst upgrades: GE, X, ABT, FNM, FRE and MITI originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Last week Forbes released its annual list of the fastest growing tech stocks, and it shouldn't be much of a surprise that Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) topped the list, with nearly $15 billion in sales, representing five-year sales growth of 155%, and 30% EPS growth. To make the list, companies had to have significant sales growth over the past year and five years, as well as a good earnings forecast for the next three to five years. Companies with significant legal problems or corporate governance issues were excluded.

Rounding out the top five were Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM), Ceradyne Inc. (NASDAQ: CRDN), Euronet Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: EEFT), and FalconStor Software Inc. (NASDAQ: FALC). Some other familiar names that made the list this year include Red Hat Inc. (NYSE: RHT), L-3 Communications (NYSE: LLL), Adobe Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE), and Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ: CTSH). Cognizant has been on Forbes list since its inauguration six years ago. For the full list, see the Forbes article.

Also of interest was the Forbes Fast 15, companies that didn't make the list mentioned above, but which Forbes thought were worth keeping an eye on for their potential. Engineering software maker Ansys Inc. (NASDAQ: ANSS), semiconductor maker Atheros Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: ATHR), Brubaker BioSciences Corp. (NASDAQ: BRKR), and scoreboard maker Daktronics Inc. (NASDAQ: DAKT) top that list. For the full list, see the Forbes article.

So if, like Aaron Katsman, Georges Yared, and Jim Cramer, you are bullish on tech stocks, then there's plenty on the Forbes lists worth taking a look at.

Google tops Forbes list of fastest growing tech stocks originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 27 Jan 2008 13:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) was cut to Hold from Buy at Needham to reflect the lowered subscriber guidance and their belief that things can get worse before getting better. Shares were also downgraded at Cowen, to Neutral from Outperform, and Lehman, to Equal Weight from Overweight.

• NiSource (NYSE: NI) was cut to Underweight from Equal Weight at Lehman based on the expected increases in interest expense and taxes.

• TiVo (NASDAQ: TIVO) was downgraded to Short from Sell at SMH Capital and believes the current valuation now reflects 20% penetration of the Comcast Corp (CMCSK)-owned digital sub base for the joint venture product bundle, which the firm considers aggressive. In addition, the firm believes TiVo's new pricing structure doesn't add much value.

• Matrix cut Williams-Sonoma (NYSE: WSM) to Sell from Hold on valuation and deteriorating operating results.

• Citigroup downgraded shares of KLA-Tencor (NASDAQ: KLAC) to Hold from Buy on valuation as they see risk to 2H07 estimates due to slower near-term cost savings and higher integration costs...

• Friedman Billings downgraded American Express (NYSE: AXP) to Market Perform from Outperform.

• Piper Jaffray cut Atheros Communications (NASDAQ: ATHR) to Market Perform from Outperform.

• Jefferies downgraded United Rentals (NYSE: URI) and GlobalSantaFe (NYSE: GSF) to Hold from Buy.

• Merrill downgraded Wyeth (NYSE: WYE) to Neutral from Buy.

Analyst downgrades 7-24-07: AXP, GSF, NFLX, TIVO and WSM originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 24 Jul 2007 11:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Stifel downgraded Hilton Hotels (NYSE: HLT) to Hold from Buy at Stifel based on the recent acquisition.

• TD Newcrest cut TransAlta (NYSE: TAC) to Sell from Hold and doesn't consider an LBO of the company likely.

• Rodman cut Cascade (NYSE: CAE) to Market Underperform from Market Perform based on valuation.

• Activision (NASDAQ: ATVI) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at JP Morgan based on valuation and the competitive environment.

• AG Edwards believes Atheros Communications (NASDAQ: ATHR) has a less favorable risk/reward and cut shares to Hold from Buy...

• Needham downgraded Kyphon (NASDAQ: KYPH) to Buy from Strong Buy.

• UBS downgraded Taiwan Semiconductor (NYSE: TSM) to Neutral from Buy.

• Deutsche Bank cut Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings (NYSE: CME) to Hold from Buy.

• Roche Holding Ltd (OTC: RHHBY) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Citigroup.

Analyst downgrades 7-11-07: ATVI, CME, HLT and TSM originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 11 Jul 2007 10:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.