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Earnings highlights: Dell, Foot Locker, Gap, Lowe's, Saks, Target ...

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

  • ADC Telecommunications Inc. (ADCT) posted a surprise net loss for Q4 and predicted a loss in Q1.
  • BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. (BJ) shares fell after Q3 earnings met expectations and offered guidance for FY.
  • Dell Inc. (DELL) posted lower-than-expected Q3 earnings, prompting a sell-off of shares.
  • Foot Locker Inc. (FL) said Q3 earnings slumped more than analysts' forecast, sending shares lower.
  • Gap Inc. (GPS) reported growth of EPS and revenue in Q3 and announced a share buyback program.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Dell, Foot Locker, Gap, Lowe's, Saks, Target ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: DELL, NFLX, PALM, SPWRA, XOM ...

Analyst upgrades:

  • Barclays upgraded Exxon (XOM) to overweight from equal weight based on a higher production growth outlook. The firm, which raised its target to $92 from $90, expects Exxon to have organic growth of more than 3% in 2010 and an average growth rate of 2.6% between 2009 and 2013.
  • Kaufman Bros. upgraded Palm (PALM) to buy from hold citing the recent pullback in shares and indications that Verizon (VZ) will carry webOS phones as early as 1H10. The firm has a $16 target on the stock.
  • Piper Jaffray raised Medicis (MRX) to neutral from underweight and raised its target to $20 from $16. Following a management meeting, Piper said they have increased confidence in Soldyn risk and LipoSonix's safety profile.
  • Illinois Tool Works (ITW) was upgraded to buy from neutral at UBS.
  • Devon Energy (DVN) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo.
  • Carmike Cinemas (CKEC) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Merriman.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: DELL, NFLX, PALM, SPWRA, XOM ...

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) hits 52-week high on reaffirmed outlook

ITW logoIllinois Tool Works (ITW - option chain) shares are rising today after the company reaffirmed its fourth-quarter EPS guidance of 54 to 66 cents. ITW also said it expects Q4 revenue growth between -1% and 5%, or roughly $3.64 to $3.86 billion. Analysts are expecting the company to post EPS of 62 cents on $3.68 billion. If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on ITW.

ITW opened this morning at $49.70. So far today the stock has hit a low of $49.58 and as of 12:00, the stock is trading right near a new 52-week high at $51.11 up $2.13 (4.3%). The chart for ITW looks neutral and S&P gives ITW a neutral 3 STARS (out of 5) hold ranking.

Continue reading Illinois Tool Works (ITW) hits 52-week high on reaffirmed outlook

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AAPL, BP, PFE, QCOM, TIF, TLB, TWX ...

Analyst upgrades:

  • Citigroup upgraded Talbots (NYSE: TLB) to Buy from Hold on expectations the company's sales and margins are at an inflection point. The firm expects comps to turn positive in the next six months and raised its target on shares to $9.50 from $5.
  • JMP Securities believes that Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL) incoming iPod product cycle, geographic expansion of iPhones, and market expansion led by new products will result in "significant" outperformance. The firm upgraded shares to Outperform from Market Perform and has a $200 target on the stock.
  • Credit Suisse upgraded Tiffany (NYSE: TIF) to Outperform from Neutral citing productivity comps and gross margin upside, leading to potential upside to 2010 Street estimates. The firm raised its target to $45 from $20.
  • Brady (NYSE: BRC) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at KeyBanc.
  • Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) was upgraded to Conviction Buy from Neutral at Goldman.
  • RadioShack (NYSE: RSH) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AAPL, BP, PFE, QCOM, TIF, TLB, TWX ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: BX, COF, DD, MS, VMC, WM, ZION ...

Analyst upgrades:

  • Citigroup upgraded Capital One (NYSE: COF) to Buy from Hold as it believes the credit cycle is starting to recover for U.S. credit cards and an improving economy will support bank credit stabilization. The firm raised its target on shares to $44 from $28.
  • JPMorgan upgraded Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) to Overweight from Neutral on valuation and believes the stock market recovery will serve as a catalyst.
  • Deutsche Bank upgraded F5 Networks (NASDAQ: FFIV) to Buy from Hold after its channel checks indicated a sooner-than-expected order ramp and stabilizing pricing trends. The firm raised its target on shares to $46 from $39.
  • COTT Corp. (NYSE: COT) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at UBS.
  • Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX) was upgraded to Equal Weight from Underweight at Barclays.
  • Illinois Tool Works (NYSE: ITW) was upgraded to Conviction Buy from Neutral at Goldman.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: BX, COF, DD, MS, VMC, WM, ZION ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: DB, CAT, MMM, NKE, UBS ...

Analyst Upgrades

  • Barclays upgraded Anglo American (NASDAQ: AAUK) to Overweight from Equal Weight based on a potentially higher bid from Xstrata (OTC: XSRAY) or a white night willing to pay a premium for the group, higher copper prices, and improving operating performance.
  • Janney Montgomery upgraded Chiquita Brands (NYSE: CQB) to Buy from Neutral citing improved bagged salad margins, strong free cash flow, solid banana trends, and valuation. The firm has a $13 target on the stock.
  • Wunderlich upgraded Legacy Reserves (NASDAQ: LGCY) to Buy from Hold due to the firm's belief that the back of the crude board is still very cheap, the firm's increased distribution outlook, and the movement of the stock after the discontinuation of the company's talks with Apollo.
  • Deutsche Bank (NYSE: DB) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at UBS.
  • UBS (NYSE: UBS) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse.
  • Illinois Tool Works (NYSE: ITW) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Wachovia.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: DB, CAT, MMM, NKE, UBS ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: SNDK, HOT, CAT, HOG, ANF, ERTS ...

Analyst upgrades:

  • Goldman upgraded SanDisk (NASDAQ: SNDK) to Buy from Neutral and raised their target to $22 from $16 citing the renegotiated royalty agreement with Samsung.
  • Goldman also upgraded Starwood Hotels (NYSE: HOT) to Buy from Sell and raised their target to $27 from $11 citing strong operating leverage as RevPAR recovers.
  • KeyBanc upgraded Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ: WERN) to Hold from Underweight citing a recent improvement in freight demand.
  • J.C. Penney (NYSE: JCP) was upgraded to buy from Underperform at Banc of America/Merrill.
  • Savvis (NASDAQ: SVVS) was raised to Outperform from Perform at Oppenheimer.
  • Sanofi-Aventis (NYSE: SNY) was upgraded at Citigroup to Buy from Hold.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: SNDK, HOT, CAT, HOG, ANF, ERTS ...

Investing with the stars: Top stocks from top managers

"Golf has Tiger Woods, novelists have Tom Clancy, and the investment community has stars such as Bruce Berkowitz, Bill Nygren, Charlie Dreifus, and Mario Gabelli," states Paul Tracy.

In his The Street Authority Market Advisor, he suggests, "These money managers are at the pinnacle of their craft." Here, he takes a look at these "celebrities" and some of their current top stock holdings.

"These money managers have all amassed prodigious gains over the years for their shareholders. Over the past few months, these gurus have come out with ringing endorsements for certain stocks. This isn't empty talk -- they are putting their money where their mouth is.

Continue reading Investing with the stars: Top stocks from top managers

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: JPM, NOK, PALM, INTU

Analyst upgrades:
  • Deutsche Bank upgraded AmerisourceBergen (NYSE:ABC) to Buy from Hold on valuation as it views the risk/reward as favorable at current levels. Deutsche raised its target price to $41.50 from $38.
  • FBR Capigal upgraded Charlotte Russe (NASDAQ:CHIC) to Outperform from Market Perform following the company's Q2 results on expectations merchandise improvements and cost-cutting efforts will drive continued margin expansion. The firm raised its target on shares to $15 from $10.
  • Oppenheimer upgraded Fidelity National (NYS:FIS) to Outperform from Perform as it believes the Metavante (MV) acquisition makes strategic sense and the stock's risk/reward is favorable. The firm's target price is $25.
  • First American (NYSE:FAF) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Keefe Bruyette.
  • Nokia (NYSE:NOK) was raised to Neutral from Underweight at JP Morgan.
  • Parker-Hannifin NYSE:(PH) was lifted at Wachovia to Outperform from Market Perform.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: JPM, NOK, PALM, INTU

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: BBY, TAP, LGF, FCX, AUY ...

Analyst upgrades:
  • Deutsche Bank upgraded shares of Camden Property (NYSE: CPT) to Hold from Sell on valuation and believes the company has improved its liquidity position. Despite the upgrade, the firm lowered its target price to $21 from $25.
  • Goldman added Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) to its Conviction Buy List as it is now the sole dominant retailer in consumer electronics and expects Best Buy's margins to benefit from Circuit City's demise.
  • Molson Coors (NYSE: TAP) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at JP Morgan as it finds the valuation attractive and sees a number of long-term fundamental positive catalysts. The firm has a $47.50 target on shares.
  • United Rentals (NYSE: URI) and Illinois Tool Works (NYSE: ITW) were upgraded to Buy from Neutral at UBS.
  • ProLogis (NYSE: PLD) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Banc of America/Merrill.
Analyst downgrades:
  • Oppenheimer downgraded Global Traffic Network (NASDAQ: GNET) to Perform from Outperform following the company's weaker than expected Q2 results and lowered its target price to $6.25 from $7.
  • Friedman Billings downgraded BankAtlantic (NYSE: BBX) to Underperform from Market Perform to reflect the deterioration of both the company's credit and capital in Q4. The firm lowered its target price to $1 from $5.
  • RBC Capital downgraded AbitibiBowater (NYSE: ABH) to Underperform from Sector Perform and lowered its target to 50 cents from $2.00 following the company's debt refinancing announcement.
  • Lions Gate (NYSE: LGF) was cut to Market Weight from Overweight at Thomas Weisel.
  • Ctrip.com (NASDAQ: CTRP) was downgraded at Goldman to Sell from Neutral.
  • Molson Coors (NYSE: TAP) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Banc of America/Merrill.
Analyst initiations:
  • Oppenheimer initiated Chattem (NASDAQ: CHTT) with an Outperform rating and believes the company's business model is well suited for the current uncertain consumer environment. The firm has an $80 target on the stock.
  • Freeport McMoRan (NYSE: FCX) was initiated at BMO Capital with a Market Perform rating and $30 target.
  • Anglo American (NASDAQ: AAUK) was assumed with a Sell rating at Societe Generale.
  • Yamana Gold (NYSE: AUY) was started at UBS with a Buy rating.

Cramer on BloggingStocks: Banks are vital to the market's psyche

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says they're too important to just let them go.

You never want to buck the financials. I have said over and over again that the group is too important to make let go. Can we really envision a world without Citigroup (NYSE: C) (Cramer's Take) and Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) (Cramer's Take) common stock? Can we envision a world where PNC (NYSE: PNC) (Cramer's Take) and Bank of New York (NYSE: BK) (Cramer's Take) and State Street (NYSE: STT) (Cramer's Take) are no more? A world where Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) (Cramer's Take) and JPMorgan (NYSE: JPM) (Cramer's Take) don't make it?

It's funny when you put it that way, because we know that if those stocks weren't in the S&P 500, if we just took them out, we would be feeling like we should be buying, buying, and buying judging from the very nice pullbacks we have had to above the lows of October and November now that we are oversold.

Tons of charts, from Forest Labs (NYSE: FRX) (Cramer's Take) to AT&T (NYSE: T) (Cramer's Take), from Disney (NYSE: DIS) (Cramer's Take) to Eaton (NYSE: ETN) (Cramer's Take), all sorts of charts from all sorts of industries, charts like Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT) (Cramer's Take) and BP (NYSE: BP) (Cramer's Take) and Nucor (NYSE: NUE) (Cramer's Take), if they hold here, will embolden people to come in. As will IBM (NYSE: IBM) (Cramer's Take) on Wednesday.

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: Banks are vital to the market's psyche

Analyst calls: NOC, RYAAY, ANN, CEG, LYG, NT, PLD, DPS, WFMI ...

Analyst upgrades:
  • Baird upgraded Adtran (NASDAQ: ADTN) to Outperform from Neutral based on valuation, new product cycles, and confidence in 2H08 results.
  • Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Repsol (NYSE: REP) to Overweight from Equal Weight as they believe the potential sale to Sacyr Vallehermoso SA could lead to a restructuring.
  • Stanford lifted National Oilwell Varco (NYSE: NOV) to Buy from Hold citing valuation. In addition, the firm, which set a target of $70, thinks most of the drop in commodity prices is now over.
  • Ryanair (NASDAQ: RYAAY) was raised to Hold from Sell at Societe Generale.
  • Ann Taylor (NYSE: ANN) was upgraded at Piper to Neutral from Sell.
  • Goldman added Illinois Tool Works (NYSE: ITW) to the Conviction Buy List.
Analyst downgrades:
  • Argus downgraded shares of Constellation Energy (NYSE: CEG) to Hold from Buy post-close given the volatility in the stock as they can no longer recommend CEG until concerns over its capital and liquidity are resolved. Shares were also downgraded to Hold from Buy at Citigroup.
  • Collins Stewart downgraded Lloyds TSB Group (NYSE: LYG) to Hold from Buy following the acquisition of HBOS (OTC: HBOOY) as they expect short-term weakness in the stock.

Continue reading Analyst calls: NOC, RYAAY, ANN, CEG, LYG, NT, PLD, DPS, WFMI ...

The week in preview: Expectations as the earnings crunch begins

As the second quarter earnings crunch begins in earnest this week, the bear market has investors jittery and prognosticators spinning out dire warnings. In the wake of mixed results from Alcoa (NYSE: AA) and General Electric (NYSE: GE) kicking things off last week, here's a look at what Wall Street is expecting from many of the companies scheduled to report this coming week.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial are expecting the following companies to report a rise in earnings when compared to the same period of the previous year.

  • Nucor Corp. (NYSE: NUE): $1.80 EPS (36.6%) on sales of $6.4 billion (+53.0%)
  • Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG): $4.74 EPS (24.9%) on sales of $3.9 billion (+41.6%)
  • Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK): 56 cents EPS (23.2%) on sales of $19.9 billion (+17.8%)
  • CSX Corp. (NYSE: CSX): 90 cents EPS (21.1%) on sales of $2.9 billion (+12.8%)
  • Altera Corp. (NASDAQ: ALTR): 27 cents EPS (18.5%) on sales of $346.7 million (+8.4%)
  • IBM (NYSE: IBM): $1.82 EPS (+17.6%) on sales of $25.9 billion (+9.0%)
  • eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY): 41 cents EPS (17.1%) on sales of $2.2 billion (+18.0%)
  • W.W. Grainger Inc. (NYSE: GWW): $1.46 EPS (17.1%) on sales of $1.7 billion (+8.0%)
  • Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT): 47 cents EPS (17.0%) on sales of $15.7 billion (+17.0%)
  • Honeywell International Inc. (NYSE: HON): 94 cents EPS (17.0%) on sales of $9.2 billion (+7.9%)

Continue reading The week in preview: Expectations as the earnings crunch begins

Manitowoc to pay $2.7 billion for Enodis

Enodis plc, which got its start in 1910, is a global supplier of food and beverage equipment. Actually, it's been a tasty company for several suitors.

And now Enodis will have a new owner: Manitowoc (NYSE: MTW). The company outbid Illinois Tool Works Inc (NYSE: ITW) and has agreed to pay $2.7 billion for the firm.

Enodis has a strong global footprint, assembling a large portfolio of quality brands, such as Delfield, Frymaster, Garland, Ice-o-matic, Scotsman and so on. What's more, the company has top-notch clients like Burger King (NYSE: BKC) and McDonald's (NYSE: MCD).

However, on its face, Enodis looks like a mature company, with little growth ahead of it. But the fact remains that the company is poised nicely for opportunities in emerging markets, especially in Asia.

Even so, Manitowoc is certainly paying a premium for Enodis. Perhaps that's why Wall Street is a bit concerned, as Manitowoc's stock has gone from $44.75 to $30.83 since April.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates MergerBook.com.

Analyst downgrades: PG, HGSI and MT

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Procter & Gamble, Human Genome and Arcelor Mittal were today's noteworthy downgrades:
  • Deutsche Bank downgraded shares of Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) to Hold from Buy on valuation and their expectation for slowing short-term industry growth, especially in beauty.
  • Citigroup downgraded Human Genome (NASDAQ:HGSI) to Hold from Buy as they believe giving up Syncria's royalties removes an important value driver for the stock.
  • HSBC downgraded shares of Arcelor Mittal (NYSE:MT) to Neutral from Overweight on valuation and believes the company needs to raise prices more than costs have risen for iron ore, coking coal and steel scrap.
OTHER DOWNGRADES:

Next Page >

Symbol Lookup
IndexesChangePrice
DJIA-17.2410,433.71
NASDAQ-6.832,169.18
S&P 500-0.591,105.65

Last updated: November 24, 2009: 07:28 PM

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