This post is part of Japan: A Special Report for Investors.

"Japan continues to reel from the aftershock of the magnitude 8.9 earthquake and subsequent tsunamis; among the hardest hit is the nuclear industry, which supplies 30 percent of the country's electricity" notes utility sector expert Roger Conrad.

The editor of The Utility Forecaster explains, "There's still a lot we don't know about the crisis. We've seen a massive selloff of in all things nuclear.In my view, this drop will be reversed as the situation calms down.

Continue reading Japan: The Impact on U.S. Nuclear Utilities

Japan: The Impact on U.S. Nuclear Utilities originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• U.S. Steel (X) to buy from neutral and Barnes & Noble (BKS) to neutral from sell at Goldman.
• Salesforce.com (CRM) to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• Dollar Tree (DLTR) to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• Edison International (EIX) to hold from sell at Citigroup.
• Analog Devices (ADI) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ADI, BKS, CMG, CRM, DANG, DLTR, FDO, LLTC, NFLX, X ...

Analyst Calls: ADI, BKS, CMG, CRM, DANG, DLTR, FDO, LLTC, NFLX, X ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• General Electric (GE) and Barclays (BCS) to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Warnaco (WRC) to outperform from market perform and Melco Crown (MPEL) to market perform from underperform at Wells Fargo.
• Parker-Hannifin (PH) and Emerson Electric (EMR) to buy from neutral at Goldman.
• AMD (AMD) to buy from neutral at Nomura.
• Novellus (NVLS) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW) to equal weight from underweight at Morgan Stanley.
• OpenTable (OPEN) to outperform from market perform at Morgan Keegan.
• Skilled Healthcare (SKH) to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• Lear (LEA) to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• Adobe (ADBE) to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AMD, BCS, BJ, CVC, EMR, GE, NVLS, PCG, PH, VLO, XOM ...

Analyst Calls: AMD, BCS, BJ, CVC, EMR, GE, NVLS, PCG, PH, VLO, XOM ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Insiders Snapping Up Webster Financial, Medtronic and More

Insiders Snapping Up Webster Financial, Medtronic and More originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Weeden upgraded Nabors Industries (NBR) to buy from hold on expectations that U.S. land drillers will likely benefit from a more restrictive deepwater Gulf of Mexico drilling environment.
• Macquarie upgraded Cinemark (CNK) to outperform from neutral and has a $20 price target on the stock. The firm cites valuation, market share stabilization and Latin American pricing power.
• RBC Capital upgraded Edison International (EIX) to outperform from sector perform with a $43 target. The firm cited valuation and its belief that the company's unregulated businesses are well-positioned to accelerate as reasons for the upgrade.
• Canadian Pacific (CP) was upgraded to buy from hold at Stifel Nicolaus.
• FirstEnergy (FE) was upgraded to buy from hold at Citigroup.
• Joy Global (JOYG) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Longbow.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: CNK, CP, EIX, FL, MCD, NBR, NE, NLC, STP, X, YUM ...

Analyst Calls: CNK, CP, EIX, FL, MCD, NBR, NE, NLC, STP, X, YUM ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 04 Jun 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Serious Money: Powerful Dividends Powering the Nation

Serious Money: Powerful Dividends Powering the Nation originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 27 May 2010 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Deutsche Bank upgraded Clorox (NYSE: CLX) to Buy from Hold on valuation and believes upside to earnings forecasts is likely. The firm raised its target on shares to $66 from $65.
• Kaufman Bros. upgraded eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY) to Buy from Hold on expectations improved Marketplace fundamentals will serve as a positive catalyst for shares. The firm raised its price target on the stock to $29 from $22.
• Roth Capital believes Zumiez (NASDAQ: ZUMZ) is well positioned for improved results and margins. The firm, which upgraded shares to Buy from Hold and raised its target to $22 from $16, said September back-to-school results bode well for the holiday season and demonstrate that Zumiez can drive conversion during peak shopping periods.
• Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC) was upgraded to Sell from Conviction Sell at Goldman.
• Adobe (NASDAQ: ADBE) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Baird.
• Monster Worldwide (NYSE: MWW) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at JPMorgan.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ADBE, AZO, EBAY, GS, NOC, WFC ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ADBE, AZO, EBAY, GS, NOC, WFC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Oppenheimer upgraded Genoptix (NASDAQ: GXDX) to Outperform from Perform and raised its target to $44 from $33 based on analysis of oncology testing reimbursement that indicates average revenue per case is within industry norms.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded Legg Mason (NYSE: LM) to Hold from Sell citing reports that an activist investor, Nelson Peltz, has increased its stake in the company. The firm said fundamentals remain weak but the news will likely push shares higher.
• Suntrust upgraded VCA Antech (NASDAQ: WOOF) to Buy from Neutral citing reduced headwinds and favorable risk/reward. The firm has a $30 target on shares.
• SLM Corp. (NYSE: SLM) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at JPMorgan.
• Diamond Offshore (NYSE: DO) and FMC Technologies (NYSE: FMC) were upgraded to Neutral from Sell at Goldman.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AA, GLW, HAL, NKE, SLM ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AA, GLW, HAL, NKE, SLM ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Stephens upgraded Old Dominion Freight (NASDAQ: ODFL) to Overweight from Equal Weight to reflect the financial problems at YRC Worldwide (NASDAQ: YRCW), which the firm believes could lead to market share gains. Stephens raised its target on Old Dominion Freight to $40 from $22.
• UBS expects SunPower (NASDAQ: SPWRA) to benefit from the U.S. residential solar segment as investment tax credits come available. The firm upgraded shares to Buy from Neutral and raised its target to $38 from $26.
• KeyBanc upgraded DPL (NYSE: DPL) to Buy from Hold based on valuation and potential upside from the Ohio approval of the rate settlement, 2010 guidance, and potential to use cash flow for accretive purposes.
• Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) was upgraded to Conviction Buy from Buy at Goldman.
• Carnival (NYSE: CCL) was raised to Equal Weight from Underweight at Barclays.
• South Financial Group (NASDAQ: TSFG) was upgraded at SunTrust to Buy from Neutral.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: CCL, LDK, MSFT, PCLN

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: CCL, LDK, MSFT, PCLN originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

From TheStreet.com Network

• Cramer's 'Mad Money' Recap: Obama Coming to Cramerica
• Cramer's Take on Top-Searched Stocks

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says that Dominion Resources saw a lot of the green movement coming and moved aggressively.

What do you do with a company that raises its dividend twice in two years by 11%, that has superior growth characteristics in its sector, enlightened management and a plan for executives to buy stock regularly?

Well, in this market, that's an easy question to answer: You sell it. That's what's been going on with Dominion Resources (NYSE: D) (Cramer's Take), the Richmond, Va.-based utility that yields more than 6%, but is bumping along its 52-week low like every other stock I follow.

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: Dominion's an Obama-resistant play

Cramer on BloggingStocks: Dominion's an Obama-resistant play originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 05 Mar 2009 10:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Piper upgraded shares of Palm (NASDAQ: PALM) to Buy from Neutral following the company's negative Q3 pre-announcement as it believes the launch of Pre will drive longer term profitability. Piper raised its target price on shares to $10 from $4.
  
• Jefferies upgraded Monotype Imaging (NASDAQ: TYPE) to Buy from Hold as it believes the valuation is compelling at current levels and the company's debt is manageable. Despite upgrading, Jefferies lowered its target price to $4 from $6.
  
• Citigroup raised Arcelor Mittal (NYSE: MT) to Hold from Sell as it believes the company's productions cuts and lower dividends are positive.
• Celanese (NYSE: CE) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Goldman and added to the firm's Conviction Buy List.
  
• Aegon (NYSE: AEG) was lifted at UBS to Neutral from Sell.
  
• Sun Healthcare (NASDAQ: SUNH) was upgraded at Stephens to Overweight from Equal Weight.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: PALM, MT, MGM, COF ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: PALM, MT, MGM, COF ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 04 Mar 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• RBC Capital initiated Edison International (NYSE: EIX) with an Outperform rating and $64 target citing strong rate base growth and the favorable environment at Southern California Edison.
  
• Piper assumed coverage of Animal Health International (NASDAQ: AHII) with a Buy rating and $10 target, as they believe the current valuation is attractive from long-term investors.
  
• Pacific Crest started SanDisk (NASDAQ: SNDK) with a Sector Perform rating and believes the valuation is too high following the recent strength as product margins are trending down.

• Sandler initiated Heritage Commerce (NASDAQ: HTBK) with a Hold rating and $16 target.
  
• Burger King (NYSE: BKC) was initiated with a Buy rating and $34 target at Piper.
  
• RBC Capital assumed U.S. Geothermal (AMEX: HTM) with an Outperform rating and $4 target.

Analyst initiations: SanDisk, Edison International, Animal Health International originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 21 May 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Jefferies downgraded shares of RF Micro Devices (NASDAQ: RFMD) to Hold from Buy to reflect the continued softness in the China Market after Asian channel checks suggested the March quarter will be weak.
  
• Citigroup downgraded shares of Western Digital (NYSE: WDC) to Hold from Buy, as they believe the HDD industry is nearing a cyclical peak. They also view the likelihood of consolidation as less likely given the current conditions.
  
• Boyd Gaming (NYSE: BYD) was lowered to Neutral from Add at Calyon following its Q4 report.

• JP Morgan downgraded BorgWarner (NYSE: BWA), Lea Corporation (NYSE: LEA) and TRW Automotive Holdings (NYSE: TRW) to Neutral from Overweight.
  
• Merrill lowered Edison International (NYSE: EIX) to Neutral from Buy.

Analyst downgrades: RFMD, WDC and BYD originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 28 Feb 2008 11:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Research in Motion (NASDAQ:RIMM) was initiated with an Overweight by Thomas Weisel, which thinks the company has one of the strongest growth profiles among large-cap tech stocks.
  
• Virgin Mobile (NYSE:VM) was initated with an Overweight by Thomas Weisel, which cited the company's strong global brand and low cost base.
  
• Pacific Crest initiated VMWare (NYSE:VMW) with a Sector Perform based on the company's thin float and competitive risks.
  
• McAfee (NYSE:MFE) was reinstated with a Buy by Deutsche Bank, which believes the company is one of the best positioned security vendors due to its comprehensive security platform.

• Thomas Weisel initiated Palm (NASDAQ:PALM) with a Market Weight rating.
  
• Gabelli initated Edison International (NYSE:EIX) with a Buy rating.
  
• Bank of America initiated Akamai (NASDAQ:AKAM) with a Neutral rating.

Analyst initiations: RIMM, VM, VMW and MFE originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 20 Nov 2007 11:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE) has five separately managed segments comprising of Southern California Gas, San Diego Gas and Electric, Sempra Commodities, Sempra Generation and Sempra Pipeline and Storage. SRE is expected to report earnings on 11/1. SRE overall option implied volatility of 23 is near its 26-week average according to Track Data, suggesting flat risk.

Edison International (NYSE: EIX) is the parent of Southern California Edison, the largest electric utility in California. EIX is expected to report earnings on 11/2. EIX overall option implied volatility of 28 is above its 26-week average of 26 according to Track Data, suggesting slightly larger risk.

Daily options Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

Option update: SRE and EIX not impacted much by Southern California fires originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 23 Oct 2007 10:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Citigroup cut Vonage Holdings Corp (NYSE: VG) to Sell from Hold on patent litigation concerns as the firm believes the risk to profitability has increased.

• General Maritime Corp (NYSE: GMR) was downgraded to Sell from Hold on valuation with a $23 target.

• Newmont Mining Corp (NYSE: NEM) was downgraded to Neutral from Overweight at HSBC.

• Lehman downgraded shares of Edison International (NYSE: EIX) to Equal-Weight from Overweight on valuation.

• Deutsche Bank cut Volvo (NASDAQ: VOLV) to Sell from Hold. Friedman, Billings, Ramsey downgraded shares of SafeNet, Inc (SFNT) based on the Vector acquisition.

• CIBC downgraded Agnico-Eagle Mines Ltd (NYSE: AEM) to Sector Perform from Outperform on valuation as the firm expects an upcoming downward correction due to lower zinc prices.

• Ryan Beck cut Fulton Financial Corp (NASDAQ: FULT) to Market Perform from Outperform with a $16 target; SunTrust Robinson downgraded shares to Neutral from Buy due to the early payment defaults.

• Matrix cut Christopher & Banks Corp (NYSE: CBK) to Sell from Hold on valuation.

• Golden Star Resources Ltd (AMEX: GSS) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at BMO Capital.

• UBS cut Ingersoll-Rand Co Ltd (NYSE: IR) to Neutral from Buy with a $47 target.

Analyst downgrades 3-27-07: Both Vonage & Volvo were downgraded today originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 27 Mar 2007 10:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• UBS downgraded shares of Amgen Inc (NASDAQ: AMGN) to Reduce from Neutral as the firm believes most Medicare carriers will drop reimbursement for Aranesp in certain types of anemia due to safety concerns.

• Goldman Sachs cut Secure Computing Corp (NASDAQ: SCUR) to Sell from Neutral, citing valuation.

• Thomas Weisel believes Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) will have a difficult time regaining lost channel share from Intel (INTC) without additional price cuts, downgrading shares to Market Weight to Overweight.

• Buckingham cut Level 3 Communications (NASDAQ: LVLT) to Accumulate from Strong Buy on valuation.

• Deutsche Bank downgraded shares of Edison International (NYSE: EIX) to Hold from Buy.

• Wachovia downgraded shares of Countrywide Financial Corp (NYSE: CFC) to Underperform from Market Perform on concerns that subprime weakness has spread to other sectors of the residential mortgage market.

• Ferris Baker Watts downgraded shares of Comstock Homebuilding (NASDAQ: CHCI) to Hold from Buy to reflect the uncertainty regarding the company's lender relationships and homebuilding market outlook.

• Citigroup downgraded shares of StanCorp Financial Group (NYSE: SFG) to Hold from Buy on valuation and recommends swapping money into Assurant, Inc (AIZ).

• JP Morgan cut AngloGold Ashanti Ltd (NYSE: AU) to Underweight from Neutral.

Analyst downgrades 3-12:07: AMD's chips are down, shares downgraded to Market Weight originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 12 Mar 2007 11:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.