Analyst Upgrades

• Polo Ralph Lauren (RL) to buy from hold at Citigroup.
• Qualcomm (QCOM) to buy from neutral at Roth Capital.
• Walgreen (WAG) to conviction buy from neutral at Goldman.
• Rockwell (ROK) to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.
• Carnival (CCL) to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• SunTrust (STI) and TD Bank (TD) to outperform from market perform at Keefe Bruyette.
• Hawaiian Electric (HE) to outperform from neutral at RW Baird.
• Essex Property Trust (ESS) to outperform from neutral at Macquarie.
• Amgen (AMGN) to neutral from underperform at BofA/Merrill.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: EBAY, ERIC, MMI, MSI, NKE, QCOM, RL, ROK, SWY, WAG ...

Analyst Calls: EBAY, ERIC, MMI, MSI, NKE, QCOM, RL, ROK, SWY, WAG ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Patterson-UTI Calls and iShares Investment-Grade Corporate Bond Puts Heating Up

Patterson-UTI Calls and iShares Investment-Grade Corporate Bond Puts Heating Up originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 14 Sep 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Wells Fargo upgraded T. Rowe Price (TROW) to outperform from market perform, citing strong flows and a potential recovery in the U.S. equity markets.
• UBS upgraded BorgWarner (BWA) to buy from neutral and raised its price target to $50 from $48. The firm expects BorgWarner to benefit from fuel economy regulation.
• Cowen upgraded Celgene (CELG) to neutral from underperform, citing improved fundamentals and valuation for the upgrade.
• TRW Automotive (TRW) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.
• Finish Line (FINL) was upgraded to buy from hold at Citigroup.
• Jazz Pharmaceutical (JAZZ) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AMZN, BWA, CELG, FINL, MMC, NLY, PPO, ROSE, SNDA, TROW, VVUS ...

Analyst Calls: AMZN, BWA, CELG, FINL, MMC, NLY, PPO, ROSE, SNDA, TROW, VVUS ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 Jun 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage on BloggingStocks:

• Adobe Systems Inc. (ADBE) reported that Q1 revenue was up but earnings declined sharply, and it offered guidance.
• Best Buy Inc. (BBY) shares rallied after it topped Q4 earnings expectations and offered encouraging guidance.
• Brinker International Inc. (EAT) raised its outlook for fiscal 2010 and also increased its quarterly dividend.
• China Automotive Systems Inc. (CAAS) reported that its revenue had doubled and it beat earnings expectations.
• ConAgra Foods Inc. (CAG) Q3 earnings matched estimates and revenue was flat, and it reaffirmed its outlook.
• Finish Line Inc. (FINL) shares rallied after it reported that Q4 earnings came in better than analysts' expected.

Continue reading Earnings Highlights: Adobe, Best Buy, General Mills, Oracle, Tiffany, Walgreen ...

Earnings Highlights: Adobe, Best Buy, General Mills, Oracle, Tiffany, Walgreen ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 27 Mar 2010 12:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Finish Line Soars on Q4 Earnings

Finish Line Soars on Q4 Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 12:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• B. Riley upgraded Hot Topic (HOTT), citing valuation, increased holiday traffic once promotions began, and views upcoming difficult Q4/Q1 comps as a buying opportunity ahead of a turnaround. The firm has a target of $8.30 on shares.
• Wunderlich upgraded RAM Energy (RAME) as it believes that the company has successfully survived a difficult year. The firm thinks the company's debt level is high but manageable while its production should increase over the next several years. The firm set a $4 target on shares.
• Roth Capital upgraded Actuate (ACTU), citing recent share weakness, the recent Xenos deal and the improving economy, both of which should improve growth. The firm has a target of $5.50 on the shares.
• Finish Line (FINL) upgraded to buy from neutral at Stern Agee.

Continue reading Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades and Initiations: ACTU, EWBC, FINL, FTNT, GIII, HOTT, RAME ...

Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades and Initiations: ACTU, EWBC, FINL, FTNT, GIII, HOTT, RAME ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 28 Dec 2009 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here are a few highlights from this past week's earnings coverage on BloggingStocks:

• Cintas Corp. (CTAS) received an analyst's downgrade following its Q2 earnings report.
• ConAgra Foods Inc. (CAG) shares spiked after it posted better-than-expected Q2 earnings.
• Finish Line Inc. (FINL) posted surprise Q3 earnings, ending a streak of quarterly losses.
• Giga Media Ltd. (GIGM) was downgraded due to its disappointing Q2 report and lack of visibility.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: ConAgra, Finish Line, Jabil Circuit, Red Hat, Walgreen ...

Earnings highlights: ConAgra, Finish Line, Jabil Circuit, Red Hat, Walgreen ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 26 Dec 2009 09:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Finish Line (FINL) is one of the few companies stepping into the earnings spotlight during this holiday-shortened week, and traders are so far reacting with enthusiasm to the retailer's third-quarter report. Finish Line banked a surprise profit of $6.6 million, or 12 cents per share, much improved from its year-ago loss of $8.8 million, or 16 cents per share.

Revenue for the period dwindled 0.2% to $240.1 million, even as same-store sales rose 1.7%. Gross margin ticked higher to 29.5% from 27%.

Continue reading Shorts Rush to Cover After Solid 3Q from Finish Line

Shorts Rush to Cover After Solid 3Q from Finish Line originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• B. Riley upgraded Finish Line (NASDAQ: FINL) to Buy from Neutral to reflect the potential for improving trends in second half of 2009. The firm raised its target on shares to $10.50 from $9.
• Merriman upgraded OptionXpress (NASDAQ: OXPS) to Neutral from Sell following the company's better than expected Q2 results. The firm notes higher commissions per trade more than offset weak DARTs and the decline in customer additions in the quarter.
• RBC Capital upgraded Gardner Denver (NYSE: GDI) to Outperform from Sector Perform and raised its target to $34 from $28 citing the additional scale of restructuring, better tone to end-markets, and few downside catalysts. Baird upgraded Gardner Denver to Outperform from Neutral and raised its target to $35 from $32 based on a bottom in fundamentals and compelling valuation.
• BE Aerospace (NASDAQ: BEAV) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at FBR Capital.
• Shire (NASDAQ: SHPGY) was upgraded to Perform from Underperform at Oppenheimer.
• UnitedHealth (NYSE: UNH) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: BA, EXEL, FINL, NTAP, UNH, WU ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: BA, EXEL, FINL, NTAP, UNH, WU ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 27 Jul 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Earnings reports continue to dribble in as the quarter winds down. Much of the attention this week will be on homebuilders KB Home (NYSE: KBH) and Lennar Corp. (NYSE: LEN) as investors look for any sign that the housing sector has bottomed (home sales numbers are also due out this week; see below). Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial anticipate that both companies will report that they narrowed their losses in the most recent quarter.

KB Home's expected $1.25 per share loss, on revenue of $725.5 million, compares to the previous quarter loss of $3.30 and to a year-ago loss of $6.19. However, KB Home's losses in the past few quarters have been deeper than expected. The Los Angeles-based homebuilder's long-range earnings growth forecast is 10.5%, less than the S&P 500. Analysts continue to recommend holding KB Home, and have for at least 120 days. Shares, however, reached a new 52-week high of $31.69 on Friday, and they are up 10.5% year to date.

Lennar is expected to post a loss of 52 cents per share, on revenue of $1.1 billion. That compares to the previous quarter's per-share loss of 76 cents and to a year-ago loss of $3.25. While Lennar also has tended in the past few quarters to miss expectations, the Miami-based company managed a positive surprise in the first quarter of 2008. Lennar's long-range earnings growth forecast is 10.3%, about the same as KB Home's. Analysts also recommend holding Lennar. Friday, shares of Lennar also reached a 52-week high, $27.75, but they are down 6.4% year to date.

Continue reading The week in preview: A bottom for the housing sector?

The week in preview: A bottom for the housing sector? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 21 Sep 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Societe Generale upgraded shares of Credit Suisse (NYSE: CS) to Buy from Sell as they believe the company is the European investment bank investors should own as sentiment gradually improves.
  
• Societe Generale also raised Deutsche Bank (NYSE: DB) to Hold from Sell as they believe it has managed the credit crisis well and that the government bailout of the GSEs will improve investor sentiment.
  
• Citigroup upgraded shares of Kimberly Clark (NYSE: KMB) to Buy from Hold as they expect the company to benefit from falling materials and energy prices. The firm raised their target to $71 from $60.
• UST Inc (NYSE: UST) was lifted at Morgan Stanley to Equal Weight from Underweight.
  
• Corning (NYSE: GLW) was upgraded to Overweight from Market Weight at Thomas Weisel.

• Credit Suisse downgraded the U.S. Homebuilders sector to Market Weight from Overweight to reflect deteriorating traffic trends and higher valuations. In addition, the firm cut Toll Brothers (NYSE: TOL), Pulte Homes (NYSE: PHM), D.R. Horton (NYSE: DHI) and KB Home (NYSE: KBH) to Neutral from Outperform.

Continue reading Analyst calls: KMB, GLW, TOL, DHI, BBY, WB, EBAY ...

Analyst calls: KMB, GLW, TOL, DHI, BBY, WB, EBAY ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 09 Sep 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Finish Line (NASDAQ: FINL) is a mall-based specialty retailer, offering athletic and casual footwear and sportswear through 699 Finish Line stores in 47 states. Featured brands include Nike, Puma, Jordan, Lacoste and Adidas. The firm also sells urban street wear through 94 Man Alive outlets in 19 states. Foot Locker (NYSE: FL) and The Sports Authority are major competitors.

The firm pleased investors late last month, when it reported fiscal Q1 EPS of two cents and revenues of $287.9 million. Analysts had been looking for a loss of five cents and $281.3 million. In discussing the positive quarter, the CEO cited successful application of strategic merchandising and inventory management programs. B. Riley subsequently upgraded the shares to "buy" and Sterne Agee reiterated its "buy" call.

Continue reading The Finish Line (FINL): Price cycles in bullish 'flag' pattern

The Finish Line (FINL): Price cycles in bullish 'flag' pattern originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It is going to be an interesting week. The Fed and oil will be at odds, and tempers are sure to flare on the trading floors. There are many earnings and eco reports we are looking at, and it is hard to choose which will be front and center. Traders and investors will be closely following every move by the Fed as they will be releasing a policy statement at 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday.

Also, stocks within the homebuilders group will be front and center as a few key players will share their earnings results. Have you seen the charts of these companies lately? Click for a good comparison. And after you take a peek, you may also wonder if they are actually stock charts or ski slopes. So with that as the backdrop, here are a few names that may actually be undercovered and worth a look.

Tuesday, June 24

Anything related to the automobile industry has been under siege of late, and I can't imagine how that will change anytime soon. HB Fuller Co. (NYSE: FUL) is involved in the manufacturing of the industrial performance/adhesive products for the assembly/packaging and automobile markets. The fact that the economy is lagging would lead one to the realization that, unless we see a quick turnaround of epic proportions, the reality of a lower share price will come with the next earnings release. Several down days of late have also had increasing volume, and that is not a good sign for a stock that is beginning to show signs of breaking down. Even so, First Call is showing a $0.45 per share quarterly estimate on $347 million of revenue.

Continue reading The week in preview: Undercovered

The week in preview: Undercovered originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 22 Jun 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Genesco (NYSE: GCO) closed at $33.06 Thursday, Finish Line (NASDAQ: FINL) closed near an eleven-year low of $3.05.

The chancery court in Nashville, Tennessee found that GCO did not commit fraud in the sale of the company to FINL, and ruled FINL to proceed with the acquisition of GCO.

FINL, with a market cap of $145 million, announced on June 18, 2007 the acquisition of all of GCO outstanding shares for $54.50 in cash.

Goldman Sachs says: "Litigation surrounding the transaction is far from over and completion of the transaction remains uncertain."

GCO overall option implied volatility of 102 is above its 26-week average of 36 according to Track Data, suggesting larger risk.

FINL overall option implied volatility of 155 is above its 26-week average of 85 according to Track Data, suggesting larger risk.

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

Options update 12-28-07: Genesco volatility aggressive, Finish Line's elevated after court rule originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 28 Dec 2007 08:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Before the bell: Futures higher following bank news, ahead of housing data

Before the bell: Futures higher following bank news, ahead of housing data originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 28 Dec 2007 07:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Finish Line's (NASDAQ: FINL) agreement to acquire its larger rival Genesco (NYSE: GCO) appears to be in jeopardy. Last month, Finish Line announced that it was "evaluating its options regarding the agreement after Genesco reported a bad quarter.

Now Genesco has sued Finish Line in an effort to consummate the merger. From the unusually colorful press release announcing the lawsuit:

Commenting on the filing, Genesco Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Hal N. Pennington said, "No more delays by The Finish Line and UBS; no more reservation of rights; no more bankers' putting their pencils down. We want a court of competent jurisdiction to enforce our rights under the Merger Agreement and for The Finish Line and UBS to live up to their obligations."

Continue reading Is Finish Line's (FINL) acquisition of Genesco (GCO) doomed?

Is Finish Line's (FINL) acquisition of Genesco (GCO) doomed? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 24 Sep 2007 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Genesco (NYSE: GCO) reported disappointing results for its second quarter, and now its agreement to be acquired by Finish Line (NASDAQ: FINL) may be in jeopardy.

Finish Line "issued a statement" regarding Genesco's results. According to the press release, "The Company is disappointed with Genesco's second quarter fiscal 2008 financial results ... the Company is evaluating its options in accordance with the terms of the merger agreement. The Company does not intend to make further comments at this time."

Sounds like it's going try to find a way to back out of the deal. Shareholders for both companies have spoken up about how they feel about that. Genesco has wilted 13% on the news and Finish Line is up more than 12% -- on news that it will consider its options with regard to a previously-announced merger.

It's not yet known whether Finish Line will be able to back out of the deal, and at what cost. But given how positively the Street reacted to the possibility of Finish Line backing out, the management has to be dying to get out of this thing.

Finish Line (FINL) mulls options on Genesco (GCO) takeover originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 30 Aug 2007 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

After reading Kevin Kelly's stock pick for a volatile market -- Steve Madden (NASDAQ: SHOO) -- I started thinking about all the shoe stocks that have been popping up on my deep value radar of late. A handful of shoe manufacturers and retailers have piqued my interest with low price/book ratios or low price/earnings ratios. Here they are:

Rocky Brands (NASDAQ: RCKY): Rocky owns the ROCKY(R) brand, along with GEORGIA BOOT(R), LEHIGH(R), DURANGO, MICHELIN FOOTWEAR and ZUMFOOT and manufactures DICKIES(R) boots under a licensing deal.

The company disappointed the Street -- actually enraged it -- with its second-quarter results. But the stock trades at a modest price/earnings ratio, and reaffirmed its guidance when it reported the bad quarter. At 0.23 times sales and .60 times book value, this one may be worth scooping out of the bargain bin.

Finish Line (NASDAQ: FINL): Shares of Finish Line, an operator of mall-based footwear stores, have been getting hammered since the company agreed to acquire its much larger competitor Genesco (NYSE: GCO) for $1.5 billion in cash. Following the deal, the combined entity's balance sheet is going to look like something out of those 1950's horror movies you can get on DVD for a buck at Wal-Mart.

Phoenix Footwear Group (AMEX: PXG): These guys make shoes and work boots under labels including Royal Robbins apparel, the Tommy Bahama, Trotters, SoftWalk, H.S. Trask footwear, Altama boots and Chambers Belt. The stock popped a few weeks ago when the company received a nice Defense Department contract, but has since retreated.

Shoe Pavilion (NASADQ: SHOE): So far, this is one of those turnarounds that, like most turnarounds, isn't really turning around. The company operates discount shoe stores and isn't making any money.

Judging from their stock prices, life has been tough for the second-tier shoe companies -- Perhaps competition and pricing pressure from mass merchandisers is hurting sales and margins. But these stocks look, at least superficially, to be cheap, and may be good contrarian bets.

Why are there so many cheap shoe stocks out there? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 12 Aug 2007 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) to hold mid-June sales call at 4:30pm.

• PDUFA date for Sanofi-Aventis SA's (NYSE: SNY) Acomplia for weight loss.
• Nike Inc (NYSE: NKE) to report Q4 earnings; conference call at 5pm.
• Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ: ORCL) to report Q4 earnings; conference call at 5pm.

• Covansys Corporation (NASDAQ: CVNS) to hold a special shareholder meeting at 9am in Detroit on the acquisition by Computer Sciences Corporation (NYSE: CSC).
• Sierra Health Services Inc (NYSE: SIE) to hold special shareholder meeting at 4pm in Las Vegas on proposed acquisition by UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE: UNH).
• Bed Bath & Beyond Inc (NASDAQ: BBBY) to report Q1 earnings; conference call at 5pm.

• Palm Inc (NASDAQ: PALM) to report Q4 earnings; conference call at 4:30pm.
• Research in Motion Limited (NASDAQ: RIMM) to report Q1 earnings; conference call at 5pm.

• Finish Line Inc (NASDAQ: FINL) to report Q1 earnings; conference call at 8:30am.

Market highlights for next week: Covansys holds special shareholder meeting originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 22 Jun 2007 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Cramer talks Cummins, Dendreon and more

Cramer talks Cummins, Dendreon and more originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 04 Apr 2007 19:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.