Continue reading Medco Health Solutions Soars On Strong Q3 Earnings

Medco Health Solutions Soars On Strong Q3 Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 02 Nov 2010 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Verisk (VRSK) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo.
• Marriott (MAR) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Bernstein.
• Jefferies upgraded Teekay (TK) and Tsakos Energy (TNP) to Buy from Hold.
• Cadence Design (CDNS) was upgraded to sector perform from underperform at RBC Capital.
• BofA/Merrill upgraded NV Energy (NVE) to buy from underperform and Education Realty Trust (EDR) to neutral from underperform.
• Men's Wearhouse (MW) was upgraded to buy from hold at Stifel.
• William Blair upgraded Atheros (ATHR) to outperform from market perform.
• Freeport McMoran (FCX) was upgraded to buy from hold at Argus.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: CTV, CVX, EAT, FCX, ICE, MAR, MW, TRV, WLP ...

Analyst Calls: CTV, CVX, EAT, FCX, ICE, MAR, MW, TRV, WLP ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Piper Jaffray upgraded Edwards Lifesciences (EW) to overweight from neutral and raised its target price for shares to $77 from $53 after The New England Journal of Medicine reported the company's PARTNER Trial met primary endpoints.
• UBS upgraded Endo Pharmaceuticals (ENDP) to buy from neutral and raised its price target to $36 from $25. UBS is positive on Endo's creative strategic deals and believes the switch to Opana TRF from Opana ER will be easy. Additionally, the analyst believes pipeline expectations are very low.
• BMO Capital upgraded Nvidia (NVDA) to outperform from market perform based on expectations that share loss in the core GPU business will stop, Tegra momentum and valuation. The firm raised its price target to $16 from $9.
• FirstEnergy (FE) and Allegheny Energy (AYE) were upgraded to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.
• Mylan (MYL) was upgraded to conviction buy from buy at Goldman. Warner
• Chilcott (WCRX) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: CALM, CWT, DD, DYN, ENDP, EW, MO, MOS, NVDA, OXPS, PPL ...

Analyst Calls: CALM, CWT, DD, DYN, ENDP, EW, MO, MOS, NVDA, OXPS, PPL ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 23 Sep 2010 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Raymond James upgraded Research in Motion (RIMM) to outperform from market perform based on valuation. The firm has a $70 price target on the stock.
• Macquarie upgraded Halliburton (HAL) to outperform from neutral and has a $40 price target on the stock. The firm said recent pressure pumping activity is above their expectations and pricing has firmed.
• Canaccord upgraded Baldor Electric (BEZ) to buy from speculative buy, citing improving business trends and the upcoming mandatory transition to premium efficiency motors. The firm has a $47 price target on the stock.
• Wells Fargo upgraded Williams-Sonoma (WSM) to outperform from market perform.
• Medco Health (MHS) was upgraded to conviction buy from buy at Goldman.
• Repsol (REP) was upgraded to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AMZN, BCS, BEZ, DOW, FSLR, HAL, HBI, PFE, RIMM, WSM ...

Analyst Calls: AMZN, BCS, BEZ, DOW, FSLR, HAL, HBI, PFE, RIMM, WSM ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 28 Jun 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Barclays upgraded GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to overweight from equal weight and said investor concerns regarding Advair and Avandia are overdone.
• Leerink upgraded Bristol-Myers (BMY) to outperform from market perform, citing management's pipeline execution. Shares were also upgraded at Citigroup this morning to buy from hold.
• Goldman upgraded Medco Health (MHS) to buy from neutral and raised its price target on shares to $76 from $67. The firm cites valuation and expectations that earnings will accelerate in 2H10 driven by a stronger generic outlook.
• U.S. Steel (X) was upgraded to neutral from sell at UBS.
• Blyth (BTH) was upgraded to hold from underperform at Jefferies.
• IPC The Hospitalist Co. (IPCM) was upgraded to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: BMY, FSLR, GSK, LGF, MHS, PVH, SAI, SU, WAG, X ...

Analyst Calls: BMY, FSLR, GSK, LGF, MHS, PVH, SAI, SU, WAG, X ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 11 Jun 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Baird upgraded Air Products (APD) to outperform from neutral on valuation following the sell-off after the company's bid for Airgas (ARG). The firm has an $89 price target on shares.
• JPMorgan upgraded Peabody Energy (BTU) to overweight from neutral as it believes the company is well positioned for 2010. The firm has a $50 price target on shares.
• Jefferies raised Adobe (ADBE) to buy from hold and has a $40 target on the stock. The firm believes concerns over the future of Flash are overblown and that shares of Adobe are attractive. Additionally, the firm expects CS5 to have a "decent" product cycle.
• Dell (DELL) was upgraded to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• SXC Health Solutions (SXCI) was upgraded to buy from hold at ThinkEquity.
• Harman (HAR) was upgraded to neutral from underperform at Credit Suisse.

Continue reading Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades and Initiations: ADBE, APD, BTU, C, DELL, PKY, SFY, WEC ...

Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades and Initiations: ADBE, APD, BTU, C, DELL, PKY, SFY, WEC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 10 Feb 2010 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

From TheStreet.com Network

• Consumer Health Check: Coming Week
• Bull or Bear? Vote in Our Poll

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: The bears are back in town

Cramer on BloggingStocks: The bears are back in town originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 17 Aug 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

From TheStreet.com Network

• Retail Investors Bracing for Back-to-School Blues
• Five Dumbest Things on Wall Street: July 31

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: You can't afford to be certain

Cramer on BloggingStocks: You can't afford to be certain originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

From TheStreet.com Network

• Coming Week: More Earnings, Upside
• Higher Medical Costs Crimp Aetna Profits

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: The health care bargain

Cramer on BloggingStocks: The health care bargain originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 27 Jul 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Citigroup upgraded shares of Consol Energy (NYSE: CNX) to Buy from Hold following the company's lowered guidance as 2009 is fully contracted with a 26% price increase. The firm raised its target to $40 from $38.
  
• Deutsche Bank upgraded AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN) to Buy from Hold on valuation as it thinks the sell-off on the company's Q4 miss and cautious guidance is overdone.
  
• Wachovia upgraded Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX) to Outperform from Market Perform because the firm thinks the outlook of the company's two main markets is improving. The firm believes the company's valuation is attractive. Thomas Weisel upgraded Boston Scientific to Overweight from Market Weight citing valuation and improving fundamentals.
• Goldman added MasterCard (NYSE: MA) to the Conviction Buy List.
  
• Accuray (NASDAQ: ARAY) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Piper Jaffray.
  
• KLA-Tencor (NASDAQ: KLAC) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Banc of America/Merrill.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: CNX, MA, CAT, MHS ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: CNX, MA, CAT, MHS ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 30 Jan 2009 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Jefferies upgraded Sonus Networks (NASDAQ: SONS) to Buy from Hold on valuation as they find the risk/reward compelling at current levels. Jefferies has a $2 target on the stock.
  
• Dresdner upgraded HSBC (NYSE: HBC) to Buy from hold on valuation as they believe the dividend cut is fully priced in at current levels.
  
• JP Morgan upgraded Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS) to Neutral from Underweight on valuation as they recommend short positions take profits at current levels.
• Kellogg (K) was raised to Buy from Neutral at UBS.
  
• RPM, Inc (NYSE: RPM) and Valspar (NYSE: VAL) were upgraded at KeyBanc to Buy from Hold.
  
• Omnicare (NYSE: OCR) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Barclays.

• Jefferies downgraded Dune Energy (AXE: DNE) to Underperform from Hold to reflect weak commodity prices and the company's reduced financial flexibility. The firm lowered its target price to 10c from 30c.
• Baird downgraded NeuStar (NYSE: NSR) to Neutral from Outperform and lowered their target to $20 from $22 based on 2009 revenue concerns and the CFO's departure.
  
• UBS cut Viacom (NYSE: VIA) to Neutral from Buy and lowered its target to $18 from $27. The firm believes advertising declines will be worst than expected and that Film expectations are too high.
• Goldcorp (NYSE: GG) was lowered to Neutral from Overweight at JP Morgan.
  
• Kindred Healthcare (NYSE: KND) and Tenet Healthcare (THC) were downgraded at Barclays to Equal Weight from Overweight.
  
• Cynosure (NASDAQ: CYNO) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Citigroup.

• Keefe Bruyette believes Blackstone's (NYSE: BX) operating results and cash flow generation are likely to remain depressed well into 2009 given the weakening economy. The firm started shares with a Market Perform rating and $6 target.
  
• Oppenheimer views Brinks (NYSE: BCO) as a pure-play secure logistics company and feels it is well positioned to take advantage of a recent decline in acquisition prices. The firm has an Outperform rating and $32 target on the stock.
• Kellogg (NYSE: K) was initiated with a Buy rating and $52 target at Janney Montgomery.
• Avery Dennison (NYSE: AVY) was started at Barclays with an Equal Weight rating.
• Medco Health (NYSE: MHS) was initiated with a Market Perform rating and $59 target at Bernstein.

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: SONS, HBC, BKS, VIA, GG, K ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Medco Health: Still the right prescription for portfolios

Medco Health: Still the right prescription for portfolios originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Smith International, Cerner and Coach were today's noteworthy upgrades:

• JP Morgan upgraded Smith International (NYSE: SII) to Overweight from Neutral citing better risk/reward vs. group, and upside to estimates from Latin America drilling and its deepwater rig fleet. Note that Oppenheimer downgraded shares of SII based on valuation.
  
• Jefferies believes Cerner Corp. (NASDAQ: CERN) in-line results and solid domestic bookings could alleviate the pressure on shares. Shares were raised to Buy from Hold.
  
• Shares of Coach Inc. (NYSE: COH) were raised to Buy from Hold at Citigroup, citing sales stabilization and compelling valuation.

OTHER UPGRADES:

• Medco Health (NYSE: MHS) was upgraded at Oppenheimer to Outperform from Perform.
  
• ThinkPanmure raised VMware Inc. (NYSE: VMW) to Buy from Accumulate.
  
• SunTrust Banks (NYSE: STI) was upgraded to Market Perform from Underperform at Keefe Bruyette.

Analyst upgrades: Coach, Cerner, Smith International originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 23 Apr 2008 11:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Deutsche Bank upgraded shares of National City (NYSE: NCC) to Buy from Sell on valuation as they believe their $9.00 target is in-line with the company's franchise value.
  
• Baird upgraded Syntax Brillian (NASDAQ: BRLC) to Outperform from Neutral based on recently announced strategic initiatives and valuation.
  
• Jefferies upgraded shares of Medco Health (NYSE: MHS) to Buy from Hold as they believe the company's renewed PBM contract with United Healthcare (NYSE: UNH) removes a major overhang.

• Friedman Billings raised Downey Financial (NYSE: DSL) to Market Perform from Underperform.
  
• Volterra (VNASDAQ: LTR) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Piper.
  
• Alliance Data (NYSE: ADS) was raised at JP Morgan to Overweight from Neutral.

Analyst upgrades: NCC, BRLC and MHS originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sometimes our biggest medical emergency is the cost of the drugs we need to treat our physical ailments. There is a firm in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, that actively pursues initiatives to cut increasing drug costs and it has some clout. It is the nation's leading pharmacy benefit manager and operates the country's largest mail order pharmacy.

Medco Health Solutions (NYSE: MHS) serves some 65 million members in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Patients fill their prescription needs through a network of close to 60,000 pharmacies, a mail-order program, or the company's online pharmacy. Medco helps contain pharmacy health care costs for private and public employers, health plans, labor unions, government agencies, and individuals served by the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Program. Cigna (NYSE: CI) and Express Scripts (NASDAQ: ESRX) are major competitors. IBM (NYSE: IBM) is a major customer.

Continue reading Medco Health Solutions: Battling the high cost of drugs

Medco Health Solutions: Battling the high cost of drugs originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 Jan 2008 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The risks? Analysts have their eye on the increased market penetration of generic drugs and some pricing pressure in contract renewals. Also, the stock's PE ratio of 30 is high, even considering MHS's growth prospects, hence the stock is vulnerable to a pull-back. The problem with the 'buy on pull-back' tactic here is that MHS's pull-backs have been mild, so there's no guarantee of a 5% pull-back before a share purchase decision.

Continue reading Medco Health: The right prescription for a choppy market

Medco Health: The right prescription for a choppy market originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 13 Dec 2007 12:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Couple of tough days ahead. We were overbought going into this Fed decision; now we will have to pay for it, and pay for it big. We have to lose a lot that we gained, expecting that the Fed would work hand-in-hand with the Treasury Department to get us out of this jam.

But that's not going to happen now. You can see what will happen. They will kill the banks again. The fundraising that was going on will be halted. We will get some failures. The homebuilder credit lines? Some will not be extended.

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: Boneheaded Fed means more pain ahead

Cramer on BloggingStocks: Boneheaded Fed means more pain ahead originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 12 Dec 2007 08:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: Merrill writedown confirms we're back in 1990

Cramer on BloggingStocks: Merrill writedown confirms we're back in 1990 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 24 Oct 2007 08:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Citigroup downgraded shares of BEA Systems (NASDAQ: BEAS) to Hold from Buy on valuation following the $17/share offer by Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) as they think a public bidding war for the company is unlikely.
  
• ABN Amro downgraded shares of Nokia Corporation (NYSE: NOK) to Hold from Buy on valuation and believes above consensus Q3 results are already priced into shares.
  
• Wachovia downgraded Medco Health Solutions (NYSE: MHS) to Market Perform from Outperform on valuation.
  
• The firm also downgraded Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX) to Market Perform from Outperform, as they believe the prospects from stabilizing volumes and cost savings are reflected in valuation and Street estimates.
  
• Credit Suisse downgraded shares of PetSmart (NASDAQ: PETM) to Neutral from Outperform citing aggressive pricing at Petco, accelerating growth initiatives, limited visibility around expense management, and lack of consistent results.

• Methanex Corporation (NASDAQ: MEOH) was downgraded to Sector Underperformer from Sector Performer at CIBC.
  
• Rochdale downgraded Heico Corporation (NYSE: HEI) to Neutral from Buy.
  
• JP Morgan downgraded BankUnited Financial Corp (NASDAQ: BKUNA) to Neutral from Outperform and removed Qwest Communications (NYSE: Q) from its Focus List.
  
• Goldman removed MetLife (NYSE: MET) from its Conviction Buy List.
  
• Coldwater Creek (NASDAQ: CWTR) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Standford and at Stifel.

Analyst downgrades: BEAS, NOK, MHS, DGX and PETM originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 15 Oct 2007 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Today's important stories from TheStreet.com: Cramer's Advice for the Fed Might Surprise You, Top 10 Value Stocks With Increasing Dividends

You know you are in trouble when fans at the big game want to talk about the Federal Reserve's meeting. Well, then again, if you are an Eagles or Giants fan, that's pretty much all that's worth talking about.

The impact, though, is simply too outsized to be trusted. The setup is too hard. The decision is too un-gameable. I haven't liked this setup since we started rallying last week, and I liked it less when we moved up Monday morning.

We have been lucky, ever since the cut in the discount window rate, to live in a world where you might wake up and find that the Fed was taking action. The mystery has benefited every group in one way or another, from the homebuilders to the oil companies.

Enough people have been buying Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) and Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) , or Barrick Gold (NYSE: ABX) and Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) to make the last few weeks a pretty good time.

Continue reading Fed-related stock plays remain a gamble

Fed-related stock plays remain a gamble originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 18 Sep 2007 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.