Continue reading Some see a BOE 'swerve,' some see a prudent central bank action

Some see a BOE 'swerve,' some see a prudent central bank action originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 28 Jan 2008 14:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• Citigroup initiated shares of VeraSun Energy (NYSE: VSE) and BioFuel Energy with Buy ratings, as the firm believes the ethanol industry is reaching an inflection point as profitability should be much improved in 2008.

• BioFuel (NASDAQ: BIOF) was also initiated with a Hold rating at AG Edwards on valuation and an Overweight rating at JP Morgan, who believes BioFuel has good growth prospects but trades at a discount relative to peers.

• Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) was initiated with a Neutral rating at Cowen, citing the company's rich valuation and mixed growth outlook.

• Cowen resumed coverage of Take-Two Interactive Software (NASDAQ: TTWO) with an Outperform rating, as the firm believes TTWO is positioned for a strong 2H07 given the Grand Theft Auto IV and other titles...

• CDC Corporation (NASDAQ: CHINA) was initiated with a Buy rating and $12 target at Montgomery.

• Oppenheimer started shares of Chelsea Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CHTP) with a Buy rating and $12 target.

• Banc of America initiated shares of Charming Shoppes (NASDAQ: CHRS) with a Neutral rating and $11 target.

• Raymond James initiated shares of Geokinetics (AMEX: GOK) with a Market Perform rating.

• King Pharmaceuticals (NYSE: KG) was initiated at Goldman Sachs with a Neutral rating and $19 target.

Analyst initiations 7-25-07: BIOF, ERTS and TTWO originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 25 Jul 2007 11:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• UBS is positive on the ethylene cycle over the next two years and believes Dow Chemical (NYSE: DOW) can beat 2008 consensus estimates, initiating shares with a Buy rating.

• JMP Securities started Smart Modular (NASDAQ: SMOD) with a Strong Buy as a unit volume growth theme without much dependence on commodity memory chip pricing.

• Citigroup expects further upside given Wolverine World Wide's (NYSE: WWW) strong portfolio of brands, further growth opportunities through line extensions and international growth. The firm started Wolverine World Wide with a Buy rating and $33 target.

• Winn-Dixie Stores (NASDAQ: WINN) was started with a Market Perform rating, citing low levels of profitability and unproven ability to drive sustainable profitable sales.

• American Technology believes the valuation of Blue Nile (NASDAQ: NILE) leaves little room for upside, despite a highly attractive business model and strong fundamentals, and started shares with a Sell rating and $45 target...

• Susquehanna started King Pharma (NYSE: KG), Sepracor (NASDAQ: SEPR) with Neutral ratings and Sciele Pharma (NASDAQ: SCRX) with a Positive rating.

• Citigroup initiated shares of Quicksilver Inc (NYSE: ZQK) with a Hold rating.

• Longbow started Mips Tech (NASDAQ: MIPS) with a Buy rating and $12 target.

Analyst initiations 5-11-07: DOW, NILE, WINN and ZQK originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 11 May 2007 11:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• Morgan Keegan upgraded FedEx Corp (NYSE: FDX) to Outperform from Market Perform. The firm said recent data indicates that the company's core business segments are well-positioned for operational improvements given current initiative; data also indicates that we may have reached a bottom in the economy and can potentially expect a soft landing.

• Applied Materials Inc (NASDAQ: AMAT) was upgraded to Buy from Hold with a $25 target at First Albany and Stanford, as they believe the company's memory cycle is better than investors may think.

• Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc (NYSE: CCE) was upgraded to Market Perform from Underperform at Bernstein because the firm no longer sees any major negative catalysts ahead.

• Apria Healthcare Group Inc (NYSE: AHG) was upgraded to Hold from Sell with a $30 target at Deutsche Bank. The firm said Apria reported a solid fourth quarter and near-term momentum was more clear.

• JP Morgan upgraded King Pharmaceuticals inc (NYSE: KG) to Neutral from Underweight on valuation and the potential of a prolonged delay of generic Skelazin.

• Citigroup upgraded Ciena Inc (NASDAQ: CIEN) to Buy from Hold, but still considers JDS Uniphase Corp (NASDAQ: JDSU) their top pick for capacity exposure.

• Jefferies raised Applebee's Int'l Inc (NASDAQ: APPB) to Hold from Underperform to reflect the company's decision to seek strategic alternatives.

• Prudential upgraded Nasdaq Stock Market Inc (NASDAQ: NDAQ) to Neutral from Underweight with a $30 target.

• JMP Securities upgraded KB Home (NYSE: KBH) to Outperform from Market Perform with a $60 target.

Analyst upgrades 2-14-07: Applebee's gets a tip, FedEx delivers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 14 Feb 2007 11:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.