- Wunderlich upgraded Granite Construction (GVA) to buy from hold, citing valuation and expected positive catalysts in 2011. The firm has a $29 price target for shares.
- Jefferies upgraded WuXi PharmaTech (WX) to buy from hold following the Q2 report, citing continued strength in China-based lab services growth. The firm has an $18 target on shares.
- BMO Capital upgraded Newell Rubbermaid (NWL) to outperform from market perform following capital structure actions. The firm has a $20 price target on the stock.
- Energizer (ENR) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.
- Cephalon (CEPH) was upgraded to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
- Dycom (DY) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Morgan Keegan.
BRMN posts
FeedAnalyst Calls: AMAT, AZO, GVA, HBC, IRE, NWL, OXY, VVUS, WX ...
Continue reading Analyst Calls: AMAT, AZO, GVA, HBC, IRE, NWL, OXY, VVUS, WX ...
Analyst initiations: SOLF, BMRN and DNA
MOST NOTEWORTHY: Solarfun Power, BioMarin Pharmaceutical and Genentech were today's noteworthy initiations:- Jefferies initiated Solarfun Power (NASDAQ:SOLF) with a Buy rating and $18 target. The firm believes the one-third stake purchased by Good Energies and new management hires could generate operational momentum and that declining silicon costs may help margins.
- BioMarin Pharmaceutical (NASDAQ:BMRN) was started at Oppenheimer with a Perform rating. The firm recommends waiting for Street estimates on Kuvan sales to moderate and for positive pipeline signals before adding to positions.
- Genentech (NYSE:DNA) was initiated at Citigroup with a Buy rating and $91 target. The firm believes several studies could lead to robust growth and points out the company's Q2 results showed Avastin reaccelerating due to growth in breast cancer.
- Goldman reinstated Staples (NASDAQ:SPLS) with a Neutral rating.
- Zebra Tech (NASDAQ:ZBRA) was initiated with a Hold rating at KeyBanc.
- Rodman & Renshaw assumed coverage of Corcept Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CORT) with an Outperform rating and $8 target.
- AuthenTec (NASDAQ:AUTH) was initiated at JP Morgan with an Overweight rating and at Canaccord Adams with a Hold rating and $10 target.
Analyst downgrades: LZ, BMRN and NVS
MOST NOTEWORTHY: Lubrizol, BioMarin Pharmaceutical and Novartis were today's noteworthy downgrades:- Jefferies downgraded shares of Lubrizol (NYSE:LZ) to Hold from Buy as they expect persistent raw material cost pressures to limit upside over the next few quarters. The firm lowered their target price to $60 from $65.
- Citigroup cut BioMarin (NASDAQ:BMRN) to Hold from Buy after their survey indicated an upside surprise from the Kuvan launch is unlikely. The firm lowered their target price to $37 from $42.
- HSBC downgraded shares of Novartis (NYSE:NVS) to Underweight from Neutral following the company's stake in Alcon (NYSE:ACL) as they believe it dilutes the company's return on assets.
- Goldman removed Waste Management (NYSE:WMI) from its Conviction Buy List.
- Thomas Weisel downgraded Kinross Gold (NYSE:KGC) to Market Weight from Overweight.
- Dreamworks Animation (NYSE:DWA) was lowered at UBS to Sell from Neutral.
- JP Morgan downgraded Martha Stewart (NYSE:MSO) to Neutral from Overweight.
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