Analyst Upgrades

• Netflix (NFLX) and Zions Bancorp (ZION) to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.
• Akamai (AKAM) to buy from neutral at Merriman.
• CSX (CSX) to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• Nordstrom (JWN) to buy from neutral, WellCare (WCG) to conviction buy from buy and Humana (HUM) to neutral from sell at Goldman.
• E-Commerce China Dangdang (DANG) to overweight from neutral at Piper Jaffray.
• VMware (VMW) to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Celanese (CE) to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ADM, AKAM, ALL, CP, CSX, HRL, HUM, JWN, NFLX, NSRGY ...

Analyst Calls: ADM, AKAM, ALL, CP, CSX, HRL, HUM, JWN, NFLX, NSRGY ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"What's safe and cheap in today's market? Food stocks top our buy list this month," suggests leading value advisor Richard Band.

The editor of Profitable Investing explains, "Here are two of my favorite buys, each with the potential to rack up a total return (price gain plus dividends) of at least 15% in the coming year: Nestle (NSRGY) and PepsiCo (PEP).

Continue reading Nestle and PepsiCo: 'Cheap and Safe'

Nestle and PepsiCo: 'Cheap and Safe' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 17 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Research In Motion (RIMM) to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• Citigroup (C) to buy from hold at ISI Group.
• Integrated Silicon (ISSI) to buy from hold at Auriga.
• Kinross Gold (KGC) to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: C, CHK, EBAY, KMB, MRK, NSRGY, PFE, RIMM, SNDA, VRA ...

Analyst Calls: C, CHK, EBAY, KMB, MRK, NSRGY, PFE, RIMM, SNDA, VRA ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• UBS upgraded Yum! Brands (YUM) to buy from neutral, citing valuation, improving momentum and stabilizing China fast-food sales. The firm raised its target to $44 from $38.
• United Technologies (UTX) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at Cowen.
• Needham upgraded Arris (ARRS) to buy from hold, citing valuation and positive near-term business trends. The firm has a $16 price target on shares.
• Warnaco (WRC) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.
• Aetna (AET) was upgraded to neutral from underperform at BofA/Merrill.
• Nestle (NSRGY) was upgraded to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AET, ARRS, BIIB, CMA, CP, ENER, FSLR, UTX, YUM ...

Analyst Calls: AET, ARRS, BIIB, CMA, CP, ENER, FSLR, UTX, YUM ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Remember the Eggo waffle shortage in November that had everyone up in arms? Well, we could all be facing a similar crisis soon with a treat that's even more sinful: cookie dough.

Now, we all know we are supposed to cut and bake that tube of raw cookie dough, but how many of us haven't opted, instead, to grab a spoon and dig in? It's not the healthiest practice to begin with, for sure, but it becomes a bit more dodgy if harmful bacteria is involved.

Continue reading Cookie Dough Shortage in Our Future?

Cookie Dough Shortage in Our Future? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 15 Jan 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Baird upgraded United Parcel Service (UPS) to outperform from neutral based on operating leverage, improving industry pricing and exposure to a cyclical recovery. The firm raised its target to $70 from $61.
• JMP Securities upgraded Qualcomm (QCOM) following positive wireless industry checks. The firm, which has a $60 target on the stock, believes Qualcomm is the best positioned wireless company to enable 3G deployments and the early ramp of 4G technology.
• Credit Suisse has taken a more positive stance on the potash sector given the settlement of the Chinese contracts and improving near-term fundamentals. The firm upgraded Potash (POT) to outperform from neutral and raised its price target to $135 from $119. Credit Suisse also raised Intrepid Potash (IPI) to neutral from underperform and raised its price target to $30 from $28.
• Avery Dennison (AVY) was raised to outperform from neutral at Baird.
• Biogen Idec (BIIB) was upgraded at BofA/Merrill to neutral from underperform.
• RadioShack (RSH) was upgraded to conviction buy from neutral at Goldman.

Continue reading Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades and Initiations: DELL, NSRGY, POT, QCOM, RIMM, UPS, V ...

Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades and Initiations: DELL, NSRGY, POT, QCOM, RIMM, UPS, V ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Halloween stocks offer investors a chance at financial treats

Halloween stocks offer investors a chance at financial treats originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Baird upgraded Nike (NYSE: NKE) to Outperform from Neutral on expectations the company will benefit from the drop in the U.S. dollar and continued solid trends in athletic footwear. The firm raised its target on shares to $69 from $61.
  
• Deutsche Bank upgraded Temple-Inland (NYSE: TIN) to Buy from Hold as it believes the company is well positioned for cyclical turnaround in the Paper/Building Products space. The firm raised its target on shares to $19 from $11.
  
• Goldman upgraded Diageo (NYSE: DEO) to Buy from Neutral to reflect the current valuation and the company's exposure to emerging markets.
• Deutsche Bank (NYSE: DB) was upgraded to Hold from Sell at ING Group.
  
• Banco Santander (NYSE: STD) was lifted to Buy from Hold at Deutsche Bank.
  
• Jackson Hewitt (NYSE: JTX) was upgraded at Oppenheimer to Outperform from Perform.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: NKE, DEO, CMG, UAL, DD, ERIC ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: NKE, DEO, CMG, UAL, DD, ERIC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 05 Jun 2009 11:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Citigroup upgraded Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) to Buy from Hold on expectations the company's top-line growth rate could be more sustainable than expected and its operating margins could recover given due to less retail discounting. The firm raised its price target on shares to $97 from $65.
  
• UBS upgraded King Pharmaceuticals (NYSE: KG) to Buy from Sell based on expectations that Sandoz will settle patent litigation regarding Skelaxin after last weeks settlement of Clarinex with Schering-Plough (SGP).
  
• Jefferies upgraded Reliance Steel (NYSE: RS) to Buy from Hold as it believes steel prices and demand are close to near-term bottoms. The firm raised its target on the stock to $44 from $25.
• Palm (NASDAQ: PALM) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Banc of America/Merrill.
  
• Nestle (OTC: NSRGY) was lifted to Neutral from Underweight at JP Morgan.
• Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) was upgraded at Wachovia to Outperform from Market Perform.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AMZN, RS, JNJ, NFLX ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AMZN, RS, JNJ, NFLX ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Q. Cynthia, your stated strategy is a fundamental, bottom-up approach, focusing on international companies. With that in mind, which are the three most important criteria that you use to determine whether a company's stock has the right stuff?

A. Our approach is both fundamental and quantitative, but we focus mainly on company-specific factors. Over the years we have consistently focused on four areas: valuation, growth, quality, and sentiment. For 2008, we were more active in looking at debt levels of companies and price momentum.

Continue reading Global Q&A: Using both fundamentals and momentum

Global Q&A: Using both fundamentals and momentum originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:20:00 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.

• Baird expects Thor Industries (NYSE: THO) to benefit from industry consolidation and the eventual recovery. Shares were upgraded to Neutral from Underperform.
  
• Jefferies upgraded SPSS Inc. (NASDAQ: SPSS) to Buy from Hold on valuation and believes the company's cost cuts will be positive for EPS. The company's target was lowered to $28 from $29.
  
• Banc of America upgraded shares of Entergy (NYSE: ETR) to Buy from Neutral on valuation and believes the company is unlikely to spin-off Enexus by year-end. They believe a spin-off in 2009 or no spin at all suggests a higher share price from current levels. The company's target was raised to $104 from $101.50.
• AMN Healthcare (NYSE: AMN) was upgraded to hold from Sell at Citigroup.
  
• Argus upgraded Choice Hotels (NYSE: CHH) to Hold from Sell.
  
• Transdigm Group (NYSE: TDG) was lifted to Buy from Neutral at UBS.

Analyst downgrades:

Continue reading Analyst calls: ETR, THO, AMN, DF, FOSL, NSRGY . . .

Analyst calls: ETR, THO, AMN, DF, FOSL, NSRGY . . . originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 05 Nov 2008 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Goldman upgraded BT Group (NYSE: BT) to Buy from Neutral on valuation and improved earnings visibility.
  
• Soleil upgraded shares of Jo Ann Stores (NYSE: JAS) to Buy from Hold following the company's Q2 upside surprise to reflect strong fundamentals and market share gains. The firm raised Jo Ann's target to $30 from $25.
  
• Amylin Pharma (NASDAQ: AMLN) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Merrill Lynch.
  
• Energen (NYSE: EGN) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at UBS.

• Roth Capital downgraded shares of Warner Chilcott (NASDAQ: WCRX) to Hold from Buy pending patent clarity for the company's lead drug, Loestrin 24 for birth control. The firm lowered their target to $18 from $20.
• JP Morgan cut China Mobile (NYSE: CHL) to Underweight from Overweight as they believe increased competition may limit earnings growth.
  
• Cantor downgraded shares of Cell Genesys (NASDAQ: CEGE) to Hold from Buy following the termination of the VITAL-2 Phase III clinical trial. The firm also lowered their target to $2 from $10.
• Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) was lowered to Neutral from Outperform at Credit Suisse.
  
• Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD) was downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight at Lehman.
  
• Cinemark (NYSE: CNK) was downgraded at BMO Capital to Market Perform from Outperform.

Continue reading Analyst calls: BT, JAS, EGN, CHL, KO, GILD, DWA ...

Analyst calls: BT, JAS, EGN, CHL, KO, GILD, DWA ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Oppenheimer downgraded shares of American Eagle (NYSE: AEO) to Perform from Outperform after news Chief Merchandise Officer Susan P. McGalla will leave the company, as they now have less confidence in the company's second half rebound.
  
• Credit Suisse cut Nokia (NYSE: NOK) to Neutral from Outperform as they believe the company's global smartphone market share is unsustainable in near term due to competition from Research in Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) and Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL).
• Societe Generale downgraded shares of Nestle (OTC: NSRGY) to Sell from Buy as they believe higher raw-materials costs and a slowdown in the U.S. will weigh on 2008 results.

• Zimmer Holdings (NYSE: ZMH) was lowered to Market Weight from Overweight at Thomas Weisel.
  
• Goldman cut Taiwan Semi (NYSE: TSM) to Neutral from Buy and Tim Hortons (THI) to Sell from Neutral.

Analyst downgrades: AEO, NOK and NSRGY originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Novartis buying Nestle's chunk in Alcon originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 07 Apr 2008 08:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• B. Riley downgraded shares of World Wrestling Entertainment (NYSE: WWE) to Neutral from Buy on valuation with the stock only 1% below their target price. However, B. Riley admits shares may move higher during the next 30-35 days, due to the upcoming WrestleMania event in Orlando, FL.
  
• Novo Nordisk (NYSE: NVO) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Merrill on valuation and a lack of near-term catalysts; shares were also lowered to Peer Perform from Outperform at Bear Stearns.
  
• ING lowered Nestle (OTC: NSRGY) to Hold from Buy as they expect organic growth to slow in 2008.

• Banc of America downgraded Paychex (NASDAQ: PAYX) to Neutral from Buy.
  
• HSBC downgraded Repsol SA (NYSE: REP) to Neutral from Overweight.
  
• Del Monte Foods (NYSE: DLM) was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at Wachovia.

Analyst downgrades: WWE, NVO and NSRGY originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 26 Feb 2008 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Jay Winthrop of Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC, a $250 million (assets under management) New York registered investment advisory firm, likes to buy stocks whose prices are so low that the odds of them benefiting from a positive surprise exceed those of losing from a negative one. Douglass Winthrop is ahead of the S&P year-to-date and has delivered "positive, tax-efficient results since inception in 2002." Through its 10% to 15% stock turnover, it offers investors lower expenses and taxes than its higher turnover "fast money" peers. As Winthrop summed it up: "Good things happen to cheap stocks."

Four stocks that he mentioned particularly caught my attention:

• Nestle S A (OTC: NSRGY). Nestle has benefited from its investment in emerging markets -- giving it a strong brand and distribution presences in countries experiencing rapid growth. A significant share of its profits are generated in developing markets. And its core food business is cheap when its strategic investments are backed out. Nestle trades at a mere 13x to 14 x operating earnings -- which is lower than the value of stocks in its peer group. Finally, Nestle is capitalizing on the profitable and growing health and wellness trend.
• Legg Mason (NYSE: LM). Legg Mason is a pre-eminent asset manager with $1 trillion under management. But its stock has declined due to temporary problems. Its Value Trust fund -- which had long outperformed the market under its manager Bill Miller -- has had two sub-par performing years in a row. And it's had troubles integrating a merger with Citigroup Inc.'s (NYSE: C) mutual fund unit. Winthrop also thinks Legg Mason has been hit by the overall decline in financials. However, he argues, Legg Mason trades at 1% of assets under management which is far below the 2% industry average. And its valuation is much less than that of newly public alternative investment managers.

Continue reading Douglass Winthrop picks for 2008: Nestle, Legg Mason, Comcast, Markel

Douglass Winthrop picks for 2008: Nestle, Legg Mason, Comcast, Markel originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 16 Dec 2007 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Jamba Juice signs deal with Nestle to sell pre-packaged juice originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 04 Dec 2007 12:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Lehman upgraded shares of Intel Corp (NASDAQ: INTC) to Overweight from Equal-Weight as they believe Q2 sales will meet the high-end of guidance with Dell (DELL) and Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) restocking in preparation for an improved PC market.

• Friedman Billings upgraded Capital One Financial (NYSE: COF) to Outperform from Market Perform based on expected cost savings on restructuring initiatives.

• Deutsche Bank upgraded shares of Nestle (OTC: NSRGY) to Buy from Hold on valuation as they believe the stock has become the cheapest among the major European food companies.

• Credit Suisse upgraded Liz Claiborne (NYSE: LIZ) to Outperform from Neutral expecting management at its July 11th investor meeting to have a significant announcement regarding strategic alternatives for a large number of its brands.

• Merrill Lynch upgraded Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) to Buy from Neutral as they believe Q4 expectations could be exceeded due to strong business demand. The broker finds shares inexpensive and also added CSCO to its U.S. 1 List.

• Bear Stearns upgraded Trump Entertainment (NASDAQ: TRMP) to Peer Perform from Underperform on valuation...

• Chittenden Corp (NYSE: CHZ) was upgraded to Sector Perform from Underperform at RBC Capital.

• Micron Technology (NYSE: MU) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at American Technology.

• Matrix USA raised Williams-Sonoma (NYSE: WSM) to Hold from Sell.

• Goldman raised Alcon (NYSE: ACL) to Buy from Neutral.

Analyst upgrades 6-28-07: COF, CSCO, INTC, LIZ and TRMP originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 28 Jun 2007 10:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Deutsche Bank downgraded Groupe Danone (NYSE: DA), Unilever (NYSE: UL) and Nestle (OTC: NSRGY) to Hold from Buy as the firm believes the three food producers will suffer from rising prices for agricultural commodities.

• SMH Capital downgraded shares of TiVo (NASDAQ: TIVO) to Sell from Hold on valuation as the firm believes the market has already priced in considerable penetration of the new TIVO/Comcast bundled DVR into Comcast's (CMCSK) core digital sub base.

• Matrix downgraded Circuit City Stores (NYSE: CC) to Strong Sell from Hold as the firm believes increasing competition is leading to lower selling prices and decreasing profits.

• BMO Capital cut AutoZone (NYSE: AZO) to Underperform from Market Perform on expectations that higher gas prices will be a drag on discretionary product sales...

• Goldman added Applied Materials, Inc (NASDAQ: AMAT) to its Americas Conviction Sell List.

• Oppenheimer downgraded Federated Department Stores (NYSE: FD) to Neutral from Buy.

• STEC, Inc (NASDAQ: STEC) was cut to Neutral from Buy at Merrill Lynch and to Sector Perform from Outperform at CIBC after weak Q1 results.

• Boyd Gaming Corp (NYSE: BYD) was cut to Market Perform from Outperform at BMO Capital.

• Baird downgraded Amgen, Inc (NASDAQ: AMGN) to Neutral from Outperform.

Analyst downgrades 5-15-07: AMAT, AMGN, CC, FD and UL originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 May 2007 11:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.