Options Update: Manpower Volatility Flat originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Manpower Drops After Insiders Sell Stock

Manpower Drops After Insiders Sell Stock originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 28 Apr 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• JPMorgan upgraded Lamar Advertising (LAMR) to overweight from neutral following the company's Q4 results. The firm has a $36 price target on shares.
• Canaccord upgraded St. Mary Land & Exploration (SM) to buy from speculative buy based on the company's business model transformation. The firm has a $45 target on shares.
• Jefferies upgraded Rosetta Stone (RST) to buy from hold following the Q4 report and guidance. The firm has a $29 target on shares.
• GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and AstraZeneca (AZN) were upgraded to neutral from sell at Goldman.
• China Unicom (CHU) was upgraded to buy from sell at Deutsche Bank.
• Repsol (REP) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AZN, FLR, ICE, KFT, LAMR, PALM, RST, SJM ...

Analyst Calls: AZN, FLR, ICE, KFT, LAMR, PALM, RST, SJM ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Deutsche Bank upgraded United Parcel Service (UPS) to buy from hold on expectations the company will benefit from improving international package volumes and restructuring initiatives. The firm raised its target on shares to $70 from $67.
• JPMorgan upgraded SVB Financial (SIVB) to overweight from neutral on valuation following the recent pullback in shares. The firm has a $54 price target on the stock.
• Baird upgraded ArvinMeritor (ARM) to outperform from neutral and raised its target to $15 from $12 following the Q2 report. The firm said ArvinMeritor has transformed its business model and is well-positioned for growth.
• UBS (UBS) was upgraded to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Occidental Petroleum (OXY) was upgraded to conviction buy from buy at Goldman.
• Vail Resorts (MTN) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo.

Continue reading Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades and Initiations: ARM, KFT, LOW, OXY, UBS, UPS, VRSN ...

Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades and Initiations: ARM, KFT, LOW, OXY, UBS, UPS, VRSN ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Goldman upgraded Walmart (WMT) to buy from neutral, citing compelling valuation, margin expansion and expense control. The firm has a $60 target on the stock.
• FBR Capital upgraded Urban Outfitters (URBN) to outperform from market perform on valuation and its belief that sustainable positive comp trends will return in 2010. The firm maintains a $35 price target on shares.
• JPMorgan upgraded Manpower (MAN) to overweight from neutral. The firm cites valuation and improving temp fundamentals in the U.S. and France for the upgrade and has a $70 price target on the stock.
• Arena Resources (ARD) was upgraded to buy from neutral at SunTrust.
• C.R. Bard (BCR) was upgraded to neutral from underweight at Piper Jaffray.
• Cardinal Health (CAH) was upgraded to overweight from market weight at Thomas Weisel.

Continue reading Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades and Initiations: BKC, CAH, DGX, FII, MAN, URBN, WMT ...

Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades and Initiations: BKC, CAH, DGX, FII, MAN, URBN, WMT ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Goldman upgraded 3M Company (MMM) to conviction buy from buy, citing positive global industrial data, underappreciated organic growth and earnings momentum, among other reasons. The firm raised its target to $105 from $100.
• Citigroup upgraded Manpower (MAN) to buy from hold to reflect improvements in the temporary employment sector. The firm raised its target price on shares to $69 from $61.
• Baird upgraded Cerner (CERN) to outperform from neutral and raised its target to $104 from $89 based on Q4 bookings momentum, positive newsflow and reasonable valuation.
• Dow Chemical (DOW) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• Magna International (MGA) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo.

Continue reading Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades and Initiations: AOL, DOW, KSS, LMT, MAN, MMM, SONC ...

Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades and Initiations: AOL, DOW, KSS, LMT, MAN, MMM, SONC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Keefe Bruyette upgraded TD AmeriTrade (AMTD) to outperform from market perform on valuation following the recent sell-off in shares. The firm has a $22.50 price target on the stock.
• Stifel upgraded Saia (SAIA) to buy from hold based on valuation, operating leverage and increased possibility of a large industry consolidation event in the next few months. The firm has an $18 target on the stock.
• Citigroup upgraded Atlas Pipeline Holdings (AHD) to hold from sell to reflect valuation and an improved outlook for commodity prices. The firm raised its target on shares to $6 from 50 cents.
• Manpower (MAN) was upgraded to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• IAMGOLD (IAG) was upgraded to buy from neutral at UBS.

Continue reading Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades and Initiations: AMTD, AOL, CHTT, CSC, IMAX, SAIA, WRC ...

Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades and Initiations: AMTD, AOL, CHTT, CSC, IMAX, SAIA, WRC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Dec 2009 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Jefferies upgraded Consolidated Edison (NYSE: ED) to Buy from Hold on expectations the company will be able to reach a settlement with the New York PSC Staff that will provide benefits to both ratepayers and shareholders. The firm raised its target on shares to $46 from $40.50.
• Keefe Bruyette upgraded Public Storage (NYSE: PSA) to Market Perform from Underperform to reflect the company's balance sheet, industry leading position, and potential for accretive acquisitions. The firm raised its target on shares to $75 from $57.
• JPMorgan upgraded Big Lots (NYSE: BIG) to Overweight from Neutral to reflect valuation and industry data points that suggest a pick-up in discretionary spending. The firm has a $30 target on the stock.
• Alcoa (NYSE: AA) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Deutsche Bank.
• East West Bancorp (NASDAQ: EWBC) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Keefe Bruyette.
• Bronco Drilling (NYSE: BDC) was upgraded to Neutral from Sell at UBS.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AA, BIG, ED, FDX, MGM, MSFT, SKS ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AA, BIG, ED, FDX, MGM, MSFT, SKS ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Baird upgraded Tenet Healthcare (NYSE: THC) to Outperform from Neutral and raised its target to $6 from $5 based on cost trends, valuation, and expectations the company can beat expectations over the next six months.
• Oppenheimer upgraded E-House (NYSE: EJ) to Outperform from Perform following the company's better-than-expected Q2 results. The firm has a price target of $27 on shares.
• JPMorgan upgraded Avery Dennison (NYSE: AVY) to Overweight from Neutral and has a $33 target on the stock. The firm cites valuation for the upgrade following the recent underperformance and expects the company's margins to expand as demand rebounds.
• Citigroup (NYSE: C) was upgraded to Buy from Underperform at BofA/Merrill.
• Taubman Centers (NYSE: TCO) was upgraded to Conviction Buy from Buy at Goldman.
• First Niagara (NASDAQ: FNFG) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Janney Montgomery.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AMGN, AVY, C, FMCN, THC ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AMGN, AVY, C, FMCN, THC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Baird upgraded Western Digital (NYSE: WDC) and Seagate (NASDAQ: NSTX) to Outperform from Neutral citing better than expected industry conditions. The firm believes supply has tightened, resulting in price increases in certain market segments.
  
• RBC Capital upgraded XTO Energy (NYSE: XTO) to Outperform from Sector Perform citing free cash flow and stable growth.
  
• Goldman upgraded Manpower (NYSE: MAN) to Neutral from Sell and raised its target to $29 from $20 based on balanced risk/reward.
• Energy Conversion (NASDAQ: ENER) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Piper Jaffray.
  
• Infineon (NYSE: IFX) was raised to Hold from Sell at RBS.
  
• NetSuite (NYSE: N) was upgraded to Acummulate from Source of Funds at ThinkEquity.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: WDC, NSTX, UBS, TIF, BA ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: WDC, NSTX, UBS, TIF, BA ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 10 Feb 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

• Accenture Ltd. (NYSE: ACN) reported strong Q1 numbers as its clients sought ways to cut costs.
• Best Buy Inc. (NYSE: BBY) may interest short sellers despite its earnings prospects for 2009.
• International Paper Co. (NYSE: IP) to shed dead wood to reduce the impact of the recession on earnings.
• Manpower Inc. (NYSE: MAN) withdrew Q4 profit and revenue guidance, sending shares lower.
• Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) lowered its Q4 earnings forecast to well below analysts' estimates.
• Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM) forecast its first-ever loss for the fiscal year on lower demand/higher yen.
• Walgreen Co. (NYSE: WAG) missed Q1 expectations and announced cost cutting and store redesign.

Also, bank earnings will be hit next by cancelled M&A deals.

Earnings releases scheduled for early January include Navistar (NYSE: NAV), Bed Bath & Beyond (NASDAQ: BBBY), Constellation Brands (NYSE: STZ), Family Dollar (NYSE: FDO), and Monsanto (NYSE: MON).

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage.

Earnings highlights: Walgreen, Toyota, Best Buy, International Paper and others originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 27 Dec 2008 13:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Valuations are determined based on discounting future earnings. Without some sort of idea as to what earnings, or lack thereof, will be, investors are a bit in the dark. Such lack of guidance is particularly troubling for companies with poor balance sheets.

For those with a stronger foundation, the lack of guidance, while still troubling, takes on less importance. As long as it is reasonable to assume that a company will navigate the darkness and ultimately see sunny days once again, investing in companies that pull guidance can be quite rewarding.

Continue reading Sell-off provides great entry point in Manpower Inc. (MAN)

Sell-off provides great entry point in Manpower Inc. (MAN) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 24 Dec 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Manpower (MAN) dives on withdrawn forecasts originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 22 Dec 2008 13:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Oppenheimer upgraded Inter Parfums (NASDAQ: IPAR) to Outperform from Perform on valuation and increased comfort with the company's outlook after meeting with management.
  
• Deutsche Bank raised Covidien (NYSE: COV) to Buy from Hold on the company's solid execution and ongoing restructuring, which they believe will drive EPS higher. The firm raised its target to $63 from $51.
• Regions Financial (NYSE: RF) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Keefe Bruyette.
• American Eagle (NYSE: AEO) was lifted to Buy from Neutral at Banc of America.
  
• Goldman raised Healthways (NASDAQ: HWAY) to Neutral from Sell.

Analyst downgrades:

Continue reading Analyst calls: AAPL, BAC, MRK, NOK, YUM . . .

Analyst calls: AAPL, BAC, MRK, NOK, YUM . . . originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 10 Sep 2008 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• AFLAC Inc. (NYSE: AFL) reported better-than-expected earnings for the first quarter.
• Ambac Financial Group Inc. (NYSE: ABK) posted a wider-than-expected loss; shares hit new low.
• Amdocs Ltd. (NYSE: DOX) beat Q2 estimates on strength in the managed services businesses.
• Amphenol Corp. (NYSE: APH) beat expectations in the first quarter and raised its guidance.
• Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: AMLN) posted a larger-than-estimated Q1 loss.
• Aptar Group Inc. (NYSE: ATR) posted record Q1 results and raised its Q2 guidance.
• Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) Q1 earnings plunged on further housing-related write-downs.
• Brinker International Inc. (NYSE: EAT) narrowly beat earnings expectations on cost cutting.
• Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (NYSE: BMY) beat analysts' estimates for the first quarter.
• Credit Suisse Group (NYSE: CS) reported a wider-than-forecast loss on subprime-related write-downs.
• Cree Inc. (NYSE: CREE) earnings slipped while revenues soared 29%.
• Eli Lilly & Co. (NYSE: LLY) reported worse-than-expected Q1 earnings on discontinued product charge.
• Gannet Inc. (NYSE: GCI) beat low expectations as earnings and revenue continue slump.
• Hasbro Inc. (NYSE: HAS) posted better-than-expected Q1 earnings on international strength.
• JAKKS Pacific Inc. (NASDAQ: JAKK) missed Q1 expectations on restructuring and litigation costs.
• Kimberly-Clark Corp. (NYSE: KMB) beat EPS estimates by a penny, as revenue jumped 10%.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Bank of America, Merck, Mattel, Phillip Morris, AFLAC and others

Earnings highlights: Bank of America, Merck, Mattel, Phillip Morris, AFLAC and others originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 26 Apr 2008 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Manpower (NYSE: MAN) is a world leader in the employment industry, offering businesses a full range of staffing-related services. These include permanent, temporary and contract recruitment; employee assessment and selection; training; outplacement; outsourcing and consulting. Manpower maintains a network of about 4,500 offices in 80 countries, enabling the firm to serve the needs of some 400,000 clients per year. It operates under the brands Manpower, Manpower Professional, Elan, Jefferson Wells and Right Management.

Investors were pleased last week, when the company reported Q1 EPS of 94 cents and revenues of $5.39 billion. Analysts had been looking for 82 cents and $5.26 billion. In discussing the results, the CEO particularly noted strength in European markets. Management also guided Q2 EPS to $1.47-$1.51, versus consensus of $1.39. Lehman Brothers subsequently reiterated its "overweight" recommendation on the stock and boosted its price target to $76.

Continue reading Manpower (MAN): Shares in bullish 'flag' pattern

Manpower (MAN): Shares in bullish 'flag' pattern originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Suntrust believes DealerTrack (NASDAQ:TRAK) is in the stages of significantly increasing penetration of dealers, finance companies, and aftermarket providers with its leading suite of transaction and subscription based solutions. The firm started shares with a Buy rating and $61 target.
  
• Jefferies resumed coverage of Healthcare Realty Trust (NYSE:HR) with a Buy rating and $28 target, as they believe the company is well-positioned to benefit from the superior long-term growth trends for outpatient services.
  
• Credit Suisse initiated the employment services sector with a Market Weight rating, citing economic uncertainty and downside EPS risk. The firm initiated Manpower (NYSE:MAN) with an Outperform rating and $73 target and HireRight (NASDAQ:HIRE) with a Neutral rating and $13 target.

• CVS Caremark (NYSE:CVS) was initiated with a Market Perform rating and $45 target at BMO Capital.
  
• JP Morgan initiated Plug Power (NASDAQ:PLUG) with an Underweight rating and California Pizza (CPKI) with a Neutral rating.

Analyst initiations: TRAK, HR and the employment services sector originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 30 Nov 2007 11:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• UBS upgraded General Motors (NYSE: GM) to Buy from Sell citing a potential $3B in cost savings from the "transformational contract" with the UAW.
  
• Acuity Brands (NYSE: AYI) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Baird based on valuation and management's ability to execute.
  
• Post Properties (NYSE: PPS) was raised to Neutral from Sell at Merrill Lynch following its Q3 report and guidance.
  
• Citigroup upgraded shares of Manpower (NYSE: MAN) to Buy from Hold as they like the company's business model and balance sheet.
  
• Soleil upgraded shares of IMAX Corporation (NASDAQ: IMAX) to Buy from hold with digital IMAX set to launch in Q208, to reflect the attractive economics of the company's new joint venture model.

• Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) was upgraded to Market Perform from Underperform at Raymond James.
  
• JMP Securities upgraded Actuate Corporation (NASDAQ: ACTU) to Outperform from Market Perform.
  
• Citigroup upgraded FormFactor (FORM) to Buy from Hold and added shares to their Global Tech Conviction List.
  
• CIBC upgraded Northgate Minerals Corporation (NYSE: NXG) to Sector Performer from Sector Underperformer.

Analyst upgrades: GM, AYI, PPS, MAN and IMAX originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 30 Oct 2007 10:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) is creating shareholder value by selling 1600 under-performing restaurants and using the money for share buyback programs and dividends and was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Matrix.

• AG Edwards upgraded Micron (NYSE: MU) to Buy from Hold on the belief notebook unit growth could stay in the 25-30% YoY range over the next two quarters, while desktop growth could pick up from the 4% attained in the June quarter. Up from a low of close to $5 in February, NAND spot prices are in the $8-$9 range for an 8Gb chip over the last few weeks.

• ManPower (NYSE: MAN) was upgraded to Strong Buy from Hold at Matrix based on the growing demand for search services in Europe, Africa and North America.

• Friedman Billings upgraded shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ: ASML) to Outperform from Market Perform and added them to their Top Picks list based on recent checks that indicate a sustainable recovery in lithography tool bookings beyond Q3.

• Bear upgraded shares of Wrigley (NYSE: WWY) to Peer Perform from Underperform citing the better-then-expected response to competitor Cadbury (CSG), UK momentum in developing markets, and likely strong performance by new gum, "5."

• Calyon raised Capital One (NYSE: COF) to Buy from Add.

• Goldman raised Darden Restaurants (NYSE: DRI) to Buy from Neutral.

• Lehman upgraded National Semiconductor (NYSE: NSM) to Overweight from Equal Weight.

Analyst upgrades: COF, DRI, MCD and WWY originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 21 Aug 2007 10:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Manpower (NYSE: MAN) volatility up; on employment growth concerns. MAN, an employment services company with 4,400 offices in 73 countries, is recently down $4.51 to $65.34. MAN has a market cap of $5.5 billion with long term debt of $800 million. MAN, Kelly Services (NASDAQ: KELYA), Labor ready (NYSE: LRW) & Spherion (NYSE: SFN) have aggressively sold off over the last week on U.S. human resource and employment services growth concerns. MAN September option implied volatility of 43 is above its 26-week average of 28 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price risk.

Labor Ready (NYSE: LRW) volatility Up; on employment growth concerns. LRW, a global temporary staffing provider, has a market cap of $878 million. LRW September option implied volatility of 47 is above its 26-week average of 40 according to Track Data, suggesting larger risk.

Volatility Index S&P 500 Options-VIX up 3.55 to 25; 10-day average is 22.95.

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

Option update for today: Employment services providers volatility up on growth concerns originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 09 Aug 2007 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.