Analyst Upgrades

• Piper Jaffray upgraded Red Hat (RHT) to overweight from neutral.
• Honeywell (HON) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at Cowen.
• Regal-Beloit (RBC) and Actuant (ATU) were upgraded to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• RW Baird upgraded MedAssets (MDAS) to outperform from neutral.
• Savvis (SVVS) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at William Blair.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: COST, HON, NFLX, NOC, PCP, RHT, TGT, TXT, WMT ...

Analyst Calls: COST, HON, NFLX, NOC, PCP, RHT, TGT, TXT, WMT ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST), a company that sells supplies to the construction industry and whose colleagues include W.W. Grainger (NYSE: GWW) and MSC Industrial Direct Co. (NYSE: MSM), didn't do so well in its third quarter. According to Reuters, per-share profit missed expectations by a penny, coming in at 32 cents. Net sales, however, met expectations at $489 million.

A comparison of this year's data to last year's results also indicates a rather tepid performance. Fastenal earned 49 cents per share in the year-ago period according to the actual press release. In addition, the current quarter's top line saw a decline of well over 20%. The economy is limiting Fastenal's ability to grow, no question about that.

Continue reading Fastenal misses in Q3, but cash flow is okay

Fastenal misses in Q3, but cash flow is okay originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• KeyBanc upgraded Greenbrier (NYSE: GBX) to Buy from Hold as it believes the company has options to forestall covenant violations or bankruptcy, event if conditions deteriorate further.
  
• Friedman Billings upgraded Whole Foods (NASDAQ: WFMI) to Market Perform from Underperform citing low expectations, favorable FTC settlement, progress on cost cutting, and valuation.
  
• JP Morgan believes First Merit (NASDAQ: FMER) is one of the best positioned Midwest banks to weather the storm and notes its compelling valuation and capital levels. The firm upgraded shares to Overweight from Neutral.
• Coca-Cola Enterprises (NYSE: CCE) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Goldman.
  
• Newell Rubbermaid (NYSE: NWL) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Banc of America/Merrill.
  
• Compass Minerals (NYSE: CMP) was lifted to Outperform from Perform at Oppenheimer.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: WFMI, CCE, S, XOM, JPM ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: WFMI, CCE, S, XOM, JPM ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 16 Mar 2009 12:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• RW Baird upgraded LHC Group (NASDAQ: LHCG) to Outperform from Neutral based on valuation and expectations for raised 2009 guidance. The firm has a $36 target on the stock.
  
• Deutsche Bank upgraded Swiss Reinsurance (OTC: SWCEY) to Buy from Hold following the CEO change as the firm views it as a positive move.
  
• Wachovia upgraded DuPont Fabros (NYSE: DFT) to Outperform from Market Perform because it thinks the company has taken major measures to mitigate its liquidity risk by obtaining additional debt. The firm also notes that the company signed several new leases.
• Goldman added Air Products (NYSE: APD) and Burger King (NYSE: BKC) to the Conviction Buy List.
  
• MSC Industrial (NYSE: MSM) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at William Blair.
  
• Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC) was raised to Outperform from Market Perform at Bernstein.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: BKC, NOC, RTN, CMCSA ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: BKC, NOC, RTN, CMCSA ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Jefferies upgraded MSC Industrial (NYSE:MSM) to Buy from Hold after meeting with management as they believe shares are attractive at current levels. The firm raised their target price to $44 from $32.
  
• UBS upgraded DuPont Fabros (NYSE:DFT) to Buy from Neutral and raised their target to $7 from $2. The firm believes DuPont Fabros will receive a waiver on its CH1 Construction loan for at least a year.
  
• Royal Bank of Scotland upgraded Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) to Buy from Hold to reflect the company's derisking of its trading book.
• Smith & Nephew (NYSE:SNN) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Goldman and added to the Conviction Buy List; Cigna (NYSE:CI) was also added to the Conviction Buy List.
  
• Affymetrix (NASDAQ:AFFX) was raised to Equal Weight from Underweight at Morgan Stanley.
  
• Airtran Holdings (NYSE:AAI) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Jesup & Lamont.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: CS, CI, UNH, AMAT, NFLX

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: CS, CI, UNH, AMAT, NFLX originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 12:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Baird upgraded MSM Industrial (NYSE: MSM) to Outperform from Neutral based on valuation and a positive view for Industrial Distributors.
  
• William Blair upgraded Allscripts (NASDAQ: MDRX) to Outperform from Market Perform on valuation following the recent pullback and believes Allscripts is well positioned to benefit from public policy that drives adoption of electronic medical records.
  
• Citigroup upgraded Consolidated Edison (NYSE: ED) to Buy from Hold as they believe the ALJ recommendation in the company's pending electric rate case indicates potential for an improving outlook.
• Raytheon (NYSE: RTN) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Goldman.
  
• Smith & Nephew (NYSE: SNN) was upgraded at JP Morgan to Neutral from Underweight.
  
• Becton Dickinson (NYSE: BDX) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley.

• Oppenheimer downgraded Bio-Reference Labs (NASDAQ: BRLI) to Perform from Outperform as they believe weaker volumes could pressure top-line growth in the near-term. The firm lowered their target to $25 from $30.
  
• Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) to Equal Weight from Overweight to reflect market deterioration as they find the risk/reward as balanced at current levels.
  
• JP Morgan cut Nestle (OTC: NSRGY) to Underweight from Neutral on concerns the company's 2009 revenue will miss consensus estimates due to market share losses.
• Rio Tinto (NYSE: RTP) and Anglo American (NASDAQ: AAUK) were lowered to Hold from Buy at Deutsche Bank.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ED, RTN, ALU, NSRGY, RTP, HPQ ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ED, RTN, ALU, NSRGY, RTP, HPQ ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 09 Jan 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Piper downgraded shares of Corinthian Colleges (NASDAQ: COCO) to Neutral from Buy as they expect the company to face difficulty maintaining Title IV lending at its high default rate schools.
  
• Jefferies downgraded shares of MSC Industrial (NYSE: MSM) to Hold from Buy on valuation, as there is not enough upside to their $50 target to maintain a Buy rating
  
• Credit Suisse lowered HBOS Plc (OTC: HBOOY) to Underperform from Neutral to reflect the weakening housing and mortgage environment.

OTHER DOWNGRADES:

• Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM) was cut to Market Perform from Outperform at Bernstein.
  
• B. Riley lowered Iomega (NYSE: IOM) to Neutral from Buy.
  
• Goldman downgraded Bare Escentuals (NASDAQ: BARE) and Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) to Neutral from Buy and Kimberly-Clark Corp. (NYSE: KMB) to Sell from Neutral.

Analyst downgrades: Corinthian Colleges, MSC Industrial, HBOS Plc originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 09 Apr 2008 12:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• William Blair upgraded shares of MSC Industrial (NYSE: MSM) to Outperform from Market Perform on valuation and improved execution following the company's Q2 results.
  
• Keefe Bruyette raised Prudential plc (NYSE: PUK) to Outperform from Underperform as they believe the company's targets will be exceeded.
  
• Oppenheimer upgraded GrafTech (NYSE: GTI) to Outperform from Perform based on strong fundamentals, improving margins, and a strong 2008 order book.

OTHER UPGRADES:

• HFF Inc. (NYSE: HF) was raised to Overweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley.
  
• Lehman raised Canadian Natural (NYSE: CNQ) to Overweight from Equal Weight.

Analyst upgrades: MSC Industrial, Prudential plc, GrafTech originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 09 Apr 2008 11:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY UPGRADES:

• There were no notable upgrades today.

• Bear Stearns downgraded MSC Industrial (NYSE:MSM) shares to Peer Perform from Outperform following yesterday's durable goods data as they believe the U.S. maintenance, repair and overhaul market could modestly slow in the near-term.
  
• Citigroup downgraded shares of Golden Telecom (NASDAQ:GLDN) to Hold from Buy and lowered their target to $105, equal to the takeout offer from VimpelCom.
• Chicago Bridge & Iron (NYSE:CBI) was downgraded to Neutral from Add at Capital One Southcoast.

• Lehman Brothers initiated El Paso Pipeline (NYSE:EPB) with an Overweight.
  
• Alliant Techsystems NYSE:ATK) was initiated with a Neutral at Cowen, which said expectations for ATK are high.

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 28 Dec 2007 11:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Cognos (NASDAQ: COGN) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Goldman and at Broadpoint following the acquisition by IBM (NYSE: IBM).
  
• Baird downgraded MSC Industrial Direct (NYSE: MSM) and Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST) to Neutral from Outperform, as they expect the difficult U.S. manufacturing environment to constrain shares.
  
• Credit Suisse lowered its rating on Royal Kpn (NYSE: KPN) to Neutral from Outperform based on Getronics integration risk and slowing mobile earnings momentum.
  
• Koppers Holdings (NYSE: KOP) was downgraded to Buy from Aggressive Buy at KeyBanc based on valuation and concerns on 1H08 comps.

• Goldman removed Foster Wheeler (NASDAQ: FWLT) from its Conviction Buy List.
  
• Gabelli downgraded shares of Constellation Brands (NYSE: STZ) to Sell from Buy.
  
• Stifel lowered its rating on Amerigroup (NYSE: AGP) to Hold from Buy.

Analyst downgrades: COGN, MSM, FAST, KPN and KOP originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 13 Nov 2007 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

When you are in the industrial supply business, the competition is ubiquitous and differentiating yourself presents a particular challenge. There is a firm in in Melville, New York that solves the problem by stocking over a half a million products and guaranteeing same day shipment.

MSC Industrial Direct Co. (NYSE: MSM) markets a range of industrial products that includes cutting tools, measuring instruments, tooling components, fasteners, plumbing supplies, electrical supplies, flat stock, raw materials, abrasives, hand tools and power tools. Suppliers include 3M (NYSE: MMM), Black & Decker (NYSE: BDK), Dow Chemical (NYSE: DOW), Eaton Corporation (NYSE: ETN), Goodyear Tire & Rubber (NYSE: GT), Honeywell International (NYSE: HON) and Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB). The company serves nearly 350,000 customers, via a master catalog, supplemental publications, telemarketing and the internet.

The firm surprised the Street late last month, when it reported solid Q3 numbers and guided Q4 estimates above consensus Street views. The share price popped on the news and has since been consolidating the gain in a bullish "pennant" pattern. Prices frequently exit pennants moving in the same direction they were traveling when they entered them. In this case, that would be to the upside.

Brokers recommend the issue with four "strong buys," three "buys," one "hold" and one "sell." Analysts see an 18% average annual growth rate, through the next five years. The MSM Sales Growth rate (32.27%), EPS Growth rate (26.00%), Return on Assets (17.72%), Return on Investment (20.86%) and Return on Equity (15.57%) compare favorably with industry, sector and S&P 500 averages. Institutions own about 69% of the outstanding shares. The stock is one of those used to calculate the S&P 400 MidCap Index. Over the past 52 weeks, it has traded between $37.23 and $56.91. A stop-loss of $49.75 looks good here.

Larry Schutts is a contributing editor for Theflyonthewall.com and the Vice-President of Stockwinners.com.

MSC Industrial Direct: Industrial supplies right here, right now originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 09 Jul 2007 14:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Sirius Satellite (SIRI), Harley-Davidson (HOG), and New York Times (NYT) top today's list of downgrades.

• UBS downgraded Sirius Satellite Radio, Inc. (NASDAQ:SIRI) to Market Perform from Outperform. The firm cited the end of its paired trade opportunity with XM Satellite Radio (XMSR), aggressive fourth-quarter subscriber forecasts and weakening consumer interest for satellite radio products.
• Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) was downgraded to Hold from Buy on valuation at A.G. Edwards. The motorcycle giant was also downgraded to Neutral from Outperform by Robert W. Baird on valuation and the potential for slower seasonal fourth-quarter growth.
• Morgan Stanley downgraded New York Times Company (NYSE:NYT) to Underweight from Equal Weight on valuation.

OTHER DOWNGRADES:

• Ferris Baker Watts downgraded Powerwave Tech Inc. (NASDAQ:PWAV) to Neutral from Buy on valuation.
• William Blair downgraded W.W. Grainger Inc. (NYSE:GWW) and MSC Industrial (NYSE:MSM) to Market Perform from Outperform due to weakened macroeconomic indicators and softness in the construction and transportation end markets.
• Finally, Goodrich Petroleum Corp. (NYSE:GDP) was downgraded to Reduce from Neutral at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey based on lower production and higher operating tax expenses.

Analyst summaries provided by TheFlyOnTheWall.com (subscription required).

Analyst downgrades 11-9-06: Sirius, Harley and NY Times downgraded originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 09 Nov 2006 11:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.