Analyst upgrades:

• UBS upgraded Target (NYSE: TGT) to Buy from Neutral and raised its price target to $52 from $45 citing reduced inventories, some credit stability, and an improved back-to-school period.
• Credit Suisse said concerns regarding Safeway's (NYSE: SWY) price position are overblown and that earnings risk is limited. The firm upgraded shares to Outperform from Neutral and raised the target price to $25 from $22.
• Oppenheimer upgraded Canadian Solar (NASDAQ: CSIQ) to Outperform from Perform as it believes the story is underappreciated following the recent sector rally. The firm has a $14 price target on the stock.
• CME Group (NASDAQ: CME) was upgraded to buy from Neutral at Goldman.
• Freeport McMoRan (NYSE: FCX) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at JP Morgan.
• Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at FTN Equity.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: TGT, SWY, CSIQ, HOTT, MPEL, RIO, CPB, CVD and HGG

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: TGT, SWY, CSIQ, HOTT, MPEL, RIO, CPB, CVD and HGG originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 21 May 2009 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Canaccord upgraded Rio Tinto (NYSE: RTP) to Buy from Hold citing valuation following the severe price decline following BHP Billiton's (NYSE: BHP) dropped bid.
• UBS upgraded Itron (NASDAQ: ITRI) to Buy from Neutral citing valuation and defensive business mix.
• Jefferies upgraded shares of HealthSouth (NYSE: HLS) to Buy from Hold on valuation and maintains a $13.50 target.
• Melco PBL Entertainment (NASDAQ: MPEL) was raised to buy from Neutral at Goldman.
• PG&E (NYSE: PCG) was upgraded at Merrill Lynch to Buy from Neutral.
• HSBC Holdings (NYSE: HBC) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at UBS.

Analyst downgrades:

Continue reading Analyst calls: RTP, ITRI, HLS, BHP, BX, DT, UL, GPC, KND . . .

Analyst calls: RTP, ITRI, HLS, BHP, BX, DT, UL, GPC, KND . . . originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Since 2002, Macau has become a gambling mecca like no other, even Las Vegas" says Jim Trippon, who looks at Melco Crown Entertainment (NASDAQ: MPEL).

In his specialty newsletter, The China Stock Digest, he explains "Simply put, the Chinese love to gamble, and the combination of their new freedoms and new wealth have uncorked a gusher of revenue."

He explains, "Melco has delivered industry-beating earnings growth in the booming Macau gaming, entertainment, and hospitality industries. The company's recent reorganization has lifted it from a loss to profitability. Net revenue for the first quarter of 2008 was $482.9 million, up from $179.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2007. That's a 267% jump!

"Net income for the first quarter of 2008 was $43.2 million, compared with a net loss of $36.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2007. In a few short months the company's key asset, Crown Macau, has become the busiest casino in the world in gaming volume.

"Macau's government announced in April that it would rein in the booming gaming industry by halting the issue of new licenses and by freezing land allocations for the construction of more casinos.

Continue reading Melco Crown (MPEL): Gamble on Macau

Melco Crown (MPEL): Gamble on Macau originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Jefferies initiated shares of Melco PBL Entertainment (NASDAQ: MPEL) with a Buy rating and $21 target, as they believe the possibility of A-Max, a VIP junket consolidator, moving up to 10 junkets to the Crown Casino could lead to short-term gains and notes that MPEL is the only Macau pure play in the U.S. stock market.
  
• Jefferies also started shares of Helen of Troy (NASDAQ: HELE) with a Hold rating and $21 target, as they sees risks to near-term EPS from soft consumer demand and gross margin pressures.
  
• Credit Suisse expects LHC Group's (NASDAQ: LHCG) rural-focused strategy and joint venture partnerships to drive organic growth and started shares off with an Outperform rating and $26 target.
  
• Oriental Financial Group (NYSE: OFG) was initiated at B. Riley with a Neutral rating and $12.50 target. The firm does not expect significant multiple expansion from current levels given the slow Puerto Rican economy.

• JP Morgan initiated Eagle Rock Energy (NASDAQ: EROC), Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (NYSE: KMP), MarkWest Energy Partners (NYSE: MWE) and Plains All American Pipeline (NYSE: PAA) with Neutral ratings.
  
• Bernstein initiated Sprint Nextel Corporation (NYSE: S), AT&T (NYSE: T) and Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) with Market Perform ratings and targets of $21, $47 and $44, respectively.

Analyst initiations: MPEL, HELE, LHCG and OFG originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 18 Oct 2007 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Bank of America upgraded Citigroup Inc (NYSE: C) to Buy from Neutral with a $58 target to reflect the low valuation and the company's opportunities to increase earnings growth over the next year.

• Altria Group (NYSE: MO) was added to Goldman Sachs' Conviction Buy List. The firm believes shares, excluding Kraft (KFT), could reach $76 over the next 12 months. Goldman also thinks Altria may announce a spinoff of its Philip Morris International unit this summer.

• TreeHouse Foods Inc (NYSE: THS) was upgraded to Buy from Sell on valuation at Matrix.

• Suncor Energy Inc (NYSE: SU) was upgraded Buy from Hold at Deutsche Bank.

• Melco PBL Entertainment (NASDAQ: MPEL) was upgraded to Hold from Sell at Citigroup.

• Prudential upped J.M. Smucker Co (NYSE: SJM) to Neutral from Underweight.

• BMO upgraded Smurfit-Stone Container Corp (NASDAQ: SSCC) to Outperform from Market Perform.

• Raymond James upgraded Cbeyond, Inc (NASDAQ: CBEY) to Outperform from Market Perform.

• Stifel upgraded Accenture Ltd (NYSE: ACN) to Buy from Hold with a $44 target.

Analyst upgrades 3-28-07: Citigroup Inc & Altria Group upgraded today originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 28 Mar 2007 10:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.