Analyst Upgrades

• Siemens (SI) to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• Diamond Offshore (DO) to market perform from underperform at FBR Capital.
• MeadWestvaco (MWV) to conviction buy from neutral at Goldman.
• TD AmeriTrade (AMTD) and Cabot Oil & Gas (COG) to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Janus Capital (JNS) to hold from sell at Citigroup.
• Motorola Mobility (MMI) to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Frontier Communications (FTR) to neutral from underperform at Macquarie.
• Humana (HUM) to buy from hold at Argus.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AMTD, COG, DO, F, GM, HUM, LEA, MMI, NKE, SI, TRW ...

Analyst Calls: AMTD, COG, DO, F, GM, HUM, LEA, MMI, NKE, SI, TRW ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 18 Mar 2011 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Gildan Activewear: They Can't Make Product Fast Enough

Gildan Activewear: They Can't Make Product Fast Enough originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Wells Fargo upgraded Norfolk Southern (NSC) to outperform from market perform following the company's Q1 results.
• RBC Capital transferred coverage on Gildan Activewear (GIL) with an outperform from sector perform. The firm is positive on Gildan's low-cost producer strategy and free cash flow generation. The firm raised its target to $35 from $26.
• Wunderlich upgraded Delphi Financial (DFG) to buy from hold following the company's Q1 results and raised its target for shares to $31 from $29.
• Aflac (AFL) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Sterne Agee.
• Time Warner (TWX) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at Cowen.
• Pride International (PDE) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: NSC, GIL, DFG, F, DVA, PFWD, PGN, TDS, PSSI ...

Analyst Calls: NSC, GIL, DFG, F, DVA, PFWD, PGN, TDS, PSSI ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 28 Apr 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Even with the stimulus checks, retail sales numbers for June and July have been nothing to cheer about. And this coming week should provide another look at how things have been shaping up in the apparel and accessories arena. A number of companies are scheduled to release quarterly numbers, from upscale retailer Nordstrom to the parent of discounter TJ Maxx, from hipster Urban Outfitters to global giant Wal-Mart. Here's a look at what Wall Street is anticipating.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial expect the following to report strong earnings growth when compared to the same period of the previous year.

• Urban Outfitters Inc. (NASDAQ: URBN): $0.30 EPS (+36.7%) on revenue of $448.5 million (+28.7%)
• Estée Lauder Cos. Inc. (NYSE: EL): $0.56 EPS (+19.6%) on revenue of $1.9 billion (+9.4%)
• TJX Cos. Inc. (NYSE: TJX): $0.46 EPS (+17.4%) on revenue of $4.6 billion (+6.8%)
• Fossil Inc. (NASDAQ: FOSL): $0.25 EPS (+16%) on revenue of $346.8 million (+13.2%)
• Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT): $0.84 EPS (+14.3%) on revenue of $101.7 billion (+9.3%)
• Elizabeth Arden Inc. (NASDAQ: RDEN): $0.22 EPS (+9.1%) on revenue of $237.6 million (-2.1/%)
• Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF): $0.93 EPS (+5.4%) on revenue of $872 million (+8.4%)

Continue reading The week in preview: Wal-Mart profits expected to rise, JCPenney's to fall

The week in preview: Wal-Mart profits expected to rise, JCPenney's to fall originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 10 Aug 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• U.S. mall owner and operator General Growth Properties Inc (NYSE: GGP) is reportedly shopping its portfolio for capital to pay off $18.7B of debt coming due over the next four years to potential joint venture partners, according to the Wall Street Journal.
• The Wall Street Journal also reported that Merrill Lynch & Co Inc (NYSE: MER) is expected to reported another quarterly loss this week, as well as up to $8B in new write-downs, a person familiar with the matter said. This would bring its total to more than $30B since October.
• The Financial Times reported that General Electric Company (NYSE: GE) is planning to invest up to $2B in China in acquisitions and other deals in order to double its revenues in the country...

• Barron's Online said Gildan Activewear Inc (NYSE: GIL), the leading maker of undecorated t-shirts and sweatshirts for the U.S. wholesale market, might be worth a look. All of the company's shirts are now made in Gildan-owned factories in Central America and Caribbean, allowing Gildan to achieve cost benefits of offshore manufacturing before competitors like Hanesbrands Inc (NYSE: HBI). Gildan has recently broadened its market with the acquisitions of two sock makers.

Newspaper wrap-up: General Growth seeking potential joint venture partners originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.