Credit Suisse upgraded Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) to Outperform from Neutral and raised its target to $55 from $44 based on earnings momentum and a bottom in the Imaging and Printing segment. Note that Dell was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform.
Jefferies upgraded Covance (NYSE: CVD) to Buy from Hold as it believes investor expectations are more reasonable following the company's conference presentation and that its Late Stage segment should continue to post strong results. The firm raised its target on shares to $65 from $5.
Stephens upgraded Home Bancshares (NASDAQ: HOMB) to Overweight from Equal Weight to reflect improved capital levels and a better-than-expected near-term outlook. The firm raised its target on shares to $27 from $24.
Citigroup upgraded Macy's (NYSE: M) to Buy from Hold after meeting with management as it believes the My Macy's localization is gaining traction. The firm raised its target on shares to $30 from $15.
Gymboree (NASDAQ: GYMB) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at FBR Capital.
DISH Network (NASDAQ: DISH) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Wells Fargo.
Baytex Energy (NYSE: BTE) was upgraded to Sector Outperformer from Sector Performer at CIBC.
TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says the spike in stock prices warrants no buying until prices go lower.
I read a scary book this weekend: the S&P chart book. It was frightening because there weren't more than a handful charts that aren't overextended, and many stocks have reached levels that I didn't like when their companies were doing well. Chart after chart in every business, but especially retail and industrial, have moved up so much that you have to feel like a chump to come in at these levels.
Just call it 'one win, one loss' with these two shorts, first recommended on May 13, 2009. McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP). Hold Short, first recommended on May 13, 2009 at a price of $29.89. After flirting with the Buy/Stop Loss at $36, MHP has resumed the predicted path: down. Belt-tightening by states, school districts, and by other education institutions does not bode well for MHP's education publishing wing. Cover Short on a bounce off $20 or $15. Buy/Stop Loss if you were to sell shares in this company: $36.
Citigroup upgraded National Fuel (NYSE: NFG) to Hold from Sell to reflect better than expected drilling results for the company's Marcellus shale assets. Citi raised its target on shares to $43 from $42.
Baird upgraded Netezza (NYSE: NZ) to Outperform from Neutral and raised its target to $14 from $7 based on the company's new product announcement and potential revenue acceleration.
JPMorgan upgraded Liberty Interactive (NASDAQ: LINTA) to Overweight from Neutral. The firm finds the valuation attractive following Liberty's better than expected Q2 results and set a $13 price target on the stock.
Marlin Business (NASDAQ: MRLN) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at William Blair.
Paychex (NASDAQ: PAYX) was upgraded to Sell from Conviction Sell at Goldman.
Today was simple. It's all about employment. A better than expected labor report sent shares soaring. The notion that a late day report showing that credit to Americans is still declining was largely ignored. The unemployment data was good enough that some might even question it. Either way, it looks like the only group losing droves of jobs now is the group of market bears. Here were today's unofficial closing bell levels: DJIA:9,730.07(+1.23%) S&P500:1,010.47(+1.35%) NASDAQ:2,000.25(+1.37%) Top 10 Analyst Calls
Opexa Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: OPXA) sold some stem cell technology to Novartis (NYSE: NVS) for $3 million up front, but it is getting another $1 million over six months and the company could get another $50 million from royalties and milestone hurdles. Shares were up a sharp and whopping 300% at $1.89 right before the close.
Investor and trader Mishko Janusevich had a mantra that he used to repeat while outlining the top, new stock shorts that appeared that day, as determined by technical indicators.
He would stand next to the overhead projected stock chart at the front of the trading room and recite, "You see this stock? You see that it's dropped $8 in past two days? You think it can't drop any more? SELL THAT STOCK it's dropping more!!"
Short these shares if you can tolerate high-risk and are an experienced investor that does not remove Buy/Stop Losses:
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.
RBC Capital believes software stock fundamentals have bottomed and that the next several quarters should see reduced earnings risk, easier comps, stimulus spending benefits, and lower FX headwinds. The firm upgraded Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), Taleo (NASDAQ: TLEO), Digital River (NASDAQ: DRIV) and Symantec (NASDAQ: SYMC) to Outperform from Sector Perform.
Rodman & Renshaw upgraded Provectus (OTC: PVCT) to Outperform from Market Perform. The firm has increased conviction in the success of the company's ongoing trial of PV-10 in melanoma.
Citigroup upgraded shares of American Express (NYSE: AXP) to Hold from Sell as it believes the risk/reward is balanced at current levels and that there are signs of potential credit market stabilization. The firm raised its price target on shares to $16 from $9.
Brinker (NYSE: EAT) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Wachovia.
PG&E (NYSE: PCG) was raised to Outperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse.
Federal-Mogul (NASDAQ: FDML) was lifted to Conviction Buy from Buy at Goldman.
Yesterday, payroll specialist Paychex (NASDAQ: PAYX) reported that its third-quarter profit dropped 8%. The company saw investment losses offset gains in other areas, resulting in earnings of 36 cents per share.
A year earlier, PAYX raked in 39 cents per share. Quarterly revenue checked in at $528.6 million, 1% lower than a year ago. Analysts expected earnings of 36 cents, but revenue was forecast to total $536.9 million.
Jefferies upgraded Ansys (NASDAQ: ANSS) shares to Buy from Hold following the company's reduced guidance as it now believes estimates are much more achievable. Despite the upgrade, the firm lowered its target price to $25 from $29.
Deutsche Bank upgraded shares of Signet Jewelers (NYSE: SIG) to Buy from Hold on expectations the company will benefit from a capacity reduction in U.S. jewelry retailing.
Thomas Weisel upgraded Omnicare (NYSE: OCR) to Overweight from Market Weight citing improving fundamentals and misunderstandings regarding Obama's healthcare proposal.
Verizon (VZ) was lifted to Outperform from Sector Perform at RBC Capital.
The Inventure Group (NYSE: SNAK) was raised to Buy from Hold at Roth Capital.
Chico's FAS (NYSE: CHS) was upgraded at Friedman Billings to Outperform from Market Perform.
Analyst downgrades:
Stephens downgraded Wilbros Group (NYSE: WG) to Equal Weight from Overweight to reflect a lack of visibility into earnings and deterioration in the company's end markets. The firm lowered its target price to $9.
Jefferies downgraded Limelight Networks (NASDAQ: LLNW) to Hold from Buy as it believes the company can not sustain profits or cash flow this year given its capex requirements. The firm lowered its target price to $3 from $4.
Barclays cut SLM Corp (NYSE: SLM) to Equal Weight from Overweight following President Obama's proposal to eliminate Federal Family Education Loan Program.
Synta Pharma (NASDAQ: SNTA) was lowered to Hold from Buy at Roth Capital and to Sector Perform from Outperform at RBC Capital.
U.S. Cellular (NYSE: USM) was downgraded at Baird to Underperform from Neutral.
Paychex (NASDAQ: PAYX) was downgraded to Sell from Neutral at Goldman.
Analyst initiations:
ThinkEquity expects Emulex (NYSE: ELX) to generate positive FCF in 2010 and views valuation as attractive. Shares were initiated with a Buy rating and $7 target.
Lazard Capital initiated Constant Contact (NASDAQ: CTCT) with a Buy rating and $19 target. The firm believes the company is well positioned in the Software as a Service category of E-mail Marketing.
Morgan Stanley assumed Dollar Tree (NASDAQ: DLTR) with an Overweight rating and $45 target and Family Dollar (NYSE: FDO) with an Equal Weight rating.
Regal Entertainment (NYSE: RGC) was started at Barclays with an Overweight rating and $14 target.
Citigroup upgraded Bristol-Myers (NYSE: BMY) to Buy from Hold. Citigroup upgraded shares on their belief the company has one of the best three year growth rates among peers.
Rio Tinto (NYSE: RTP) was upgraded to Buy from Underperform at Merrill Lynch. Merrill upgraded Rio Tinto following the company's debt repayment plan announcement.
Credit Suisse upgraded Societe Generale (OTC: SCGLY) to Outperform from Neutral. Credit Suisse upgraded shares on valuation.
Alberto-Culver (NYSE: ACV) was added to Conviction Buy List; maintain Buy at Goldman.
Earnings reports continue to dribble in as the quarter winds down. Much of the attention this week will be on homebuilders KB Home (NYSE: KBH) and Lennar Corp. (NYSE: LEN) as investors look for any sign that the housing sector has bottomed (home sales numbers are also due out this week; see below). Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial anticipate that both companies will report that they narrowed their losses in the most recent quarter.
KB Home's expected $1.25 per share loss, on revenue of $725.5 million, compares to the previous quarter loss of $3.30 and to a year-ago loss of $6.19. However, KB Home's losses in the past few quarters have been deeper than expected. The Los Angeles-based homebuilder's long-range earnings growth forecast is 10.5%, less than the S&P 500. Analysts continue to recommend holding KB Home, and have for at least 120 days. Shares, however, reached a new 52-week high of $31.69 on Friday, and they are up 10.5% year to date.
Lennar is expected to post a loss of 52 cents per share, on revenue of $1.1 billion. That compares to the previous quarter's per-share loss of 76 cents and to a year-ago loss of $3.25. While Lennar also has tended in the past few quarters to miss expectations, the Miami-based company managed a positive surprise in the first quarter of 2008. Lennar's long-range earnings growth forecast is 10.3%, about the same as KB Home's. Analysts also recommend holding Lennar. Friday, shares of Lennar also reached a 52-week high, $27.75, but they are down 6.4% year to date.
"Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) is no longer relegated to a tiny corner of the investment landscape; indeed, according to the Social Investment Forum, SRI now accounts for $2.7 trillion, up more than 18% since 2005," says Chuck Carlson.
Here, the editor of The DRIP Investor offers five stock that both rank high for their social responsibility and also stand out based on more traditional earnings and valuation analysis.
"The Social Investment Forum estimates that more than one in every 10 dollars under professional management in the U.S. is involved in SRI investing. What is driving the growth in SRI?
"One factor is the increasing numbers of women and younger investors among the investor populace have fueled demand for SRI investments.
"In addition, we see an increased focus on environment, social, and corporate governance issues. Further, widely publicized stories concerning global warming as well as various corporate governance issues, have caused many investors to reconsider how they deploy their investment capital.
Analyst upgrades:
Just call it 'one win, one loss' with these two shorts, first recommended on May 13, 2009.
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Earnings reports continue to dribble in as the quarter winds down. Much of the attention this week will be on homebuilders 
Gold surges to another new high of $1167 per ounce
Cramer on BloggingStocks: Sanofi has lots of upside catalysts 
New 'Twilight' movie dominates weekend box office 
