Analyst Upgrades

• Citigroup (C) to outperform from market perform at Bernstein.
• Cubist Pharma (CBST) to outperform from neutral at RW Baird.
• Pentair (PNR) to buy from hold at Citigroup.
• Heritage Financial (HFWA) to outperform from market perform at Keefe Bruyette.
• SL Green Realty (SLG) and Digital Realty (DLR) to market perform from underperform at FBR Capital.
• MGM Resorts (MGM) to neutral from Sell at Janney Capital.
• Ciena (CIEN) to buy from neutral and Olin (OLN) to buy from underperform at BofA/Merrill.
• Mellanox (MLNX) to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• ConocoPhillips (COP) and Canadian Natural (CNQ) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• IDEX (IEX) to outperform from perform at Oppenheimer.
• Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM) to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• Ctrip.com (CTRP) to positive from neutral at Susquehanna.
• Linear Technology (LLTC) and Analog Devices (ADI) to hold from sell at Auriga.
• Quicksilver (KWK) to outperform from market perform at BMO Capital.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ADI, BRCM, C, CIEN, COP, INTC, MGM, OXY, QCOM, TXN ...

Analyst Calls: ADI, BRCM, C, CIEN, COP, INTC, MGM, OXY, QCOM, TXN ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Integrated circuit and systems software solution provider Qualcomm Inc.'s (QCOM) shares, first discussed here on January 28, 2011, at a price of $53.74, have pulled back about 10% to $54 in early 2011, but just view the retreat as a chance to scoop up shares, if you missed the January entry price.

And the reason is obvious enough: Qualcomm has the right products at the right time. The smartphone segment, aided by the 3G internet, is on fire, which has resulted in record model station modem (msm) chipset shipments.

Continue reading Qualcomm: Ride the Mobile Upgrade Wave

Qualcomm: Ride the Mobile Upgrade Wave originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple's (AAPL) iPad 2 got off to a great start during the first weekend of its launch, selling an estimated 400,000 to 500,000 units. Apple holds a substantial lead in the tablet market over competitors like Research In Motion (RIMM), Motorola Mobility (MMI), Dell (DELL), Samsung and LG Display.

How Much Will Suppliers Benefit from iPad 2 Sales in 2011?

Here we take a look at how much various iPad 2 component suppliers stand to gain from the product's success. We assume that Apple will continue to source iPad 2 components from the same set of suppliers throughout 2011.

Continue reading How Much Will Suppliers Gain from iPad 2 in 2011?

How Much Will Suppliers Gain from iPad 2 in 2011? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 26 Mar 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Parker-Hannifin (PH) to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• JDSU (JDSU) to buy from hold at Citigroup.
• Noble Corp. (NE) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Cerner (CERN) to buy from hold at Auriga.
• Cintas (CTAS) to outperform from neutral at RW Baird.
• American States Water (AWR) to buy from hold at Brean Murray.
• National Semiconductor (NSM) and Texas Instruments (TXN) to positive from neutral at Susquehanna.
• Lululemon (LULU) to buy from hold at ThinkEquity.
• DuPont Fabros (DFT) to top pick from outperform at RBC Capital.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: CERN, DFT, LVS, NE, NSM, OPEN, PH, QCOM, SHAW, TXN ...

Analyst Calls: CERN, DFT, LVS, NE, NSM, OPEN, PH, QCOM, SHAW, TXN ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Expedia (EXPE) to buy from hold at Citigroup.
• Weatherford (WFT) to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo.
• Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• MDC Holdings (MDC) to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.
• AutoNavi (AMAP) to buy from neutral at Goldman.
• Ciena (CIEN) and Nvidia (NVDA) to neutral from underweight at JPMorgan.
• Canadian Pacific (CP) to outperform from market perform at Raymond James.
• First Midwest (FMBI) and Quiksilver (ZQK) to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• Sonic (SONC) to neutral from negative at Susquehanna.
• MIPS Technologies (MIPS) to buy from hold at Benchmark Co.
• Arrow Electronics (ARW) and Avnet (AVT) to buy from hold at Stifel Nicolaus.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ANF, BBBY, CIEN, CP, EXPE, ICE, NVDA, QCOM, SONC ...

Analyst Calls: ANF, BBBY, CIEN, CP, EXPE, ICE, NVDA, QCOM, SONC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Over the years, Marvell Technology (MRVL) has built a solid business in developing chips for PC storage. The problem is that, with the emergence of tablets, the market is feeling some pressure. While Marvell has been moving hard into the mobile space, the results have been muted.

So, it should be no surprise that the company's recent earnings report was fairly lackluster. In fact, the shares were off 8% to $16.75 in morning trading.

Continue reading Marvell Technology: Feeling the Pain from Tablet Megatrend?

Marvell Technology: Feeling the Pain from Tablet Megatrend? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Qualcomm (QCOM) recently announced its fiscal 2011 first quarter earnings, in which it provided an outlook for the year. The notable positive here is the higher expected royalty rate in 2011, which reverses the trend of declining royalty rates in recent years. The tripling of capital expenditures that the company expects in fiscal year 2011 compared to 2010 also stands out to us, and we discuss the potential impacts of these below.

Qualcomm competes with other chip makers like Texas Instruments (TXN), Broadcom (BRCM) and Infineon (IFNNY), and we have a $53.82 Trefis price estimate for Qualcomm stock, which is around 4% below the current market price.

Continue reading Qualcomm Royalty Rates Improve, Capex Jump in 2011

Qualcomm Royalty Rates Improve, Capex Jump in 2011 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Qualcomm Joins the Competition for the Tablet Market

Qualcomm Joins the Competition for the Tablet Market originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Coca-Cola (KO) has more than $13 billion in cash.

The top five companies (according to market cap) are:

• Exxon Mobil (XOM): $398.3 billion
• Apple (AAPL): $309.0 billion
• Microsoft (MSFT): $237.5 billion
• General Electric (GE): $215.0 billion
• Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A): $202.5 billion

Continue reading Comfort Zone Investing: Did You Know ... ?

Comfort Zone Investing: Did You Know ... ? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 05 Feb 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Wall Street investment banks are prepping for a nice rebound in tech IPOs this year. And yes, they are already filing offerings. One of the first is Boingo Wireless, which is a leader in wi-fi access. The company hopes to raise $75 million.

In all, Boingo has 211,000 wi-fi locations in over 100 countries. Many are found in places like airports, malls, coffee shops, stadiums and hotels. Over the past 12 months, Boingo has seen more than 1.3 million Net users purchase its service.

Continue reading Boingo Tries for an IPO

Boingo Tries for an IPO originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 18 Jan 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

For years Microsoft (MSFT) was the tech leader. Then, Google (GOOG) came along and Microsoft missed the entire search engine revolution. But Microsoft still dominated in software. Then came Apple (AAPL) with its iPod, iPhone, and iPad. Again, Microsoft missed the small device revolution.

The Wall Street Journal reports that now Microsoft is playing catch-up again. With its next operating system it will use low-powered chips similar to those Apple uses.

Continue reading Microsoft to Feature New Chips With Next Windows

Microsoft to Feature New Chips With Next Windows originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Polo Ralph Lauren (RL) to buy from hold at Citigroup.
• Qualcomm (QCOM) to buy from neutral at Roth Capital.
• Walgreen (WAG) to conviction buy from neutral at Goldman.
• Rockwell (ROK) to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.
• Carnival (CCL) to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• SunTrust (STI) and TD Bank (TD) to outperform from market perform at Keefe Bruyette.
• Hawaiian Electric (HE) to outperform from neutral at RW Baird.
• Essex Property Trust (ESS) to outperform from neutral at Macquarie.
• Amgen (AMGN) to neutral from underperform at BofA/Merrill.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: EBAY, ERIC, MMI, MSI, NKE, QCOM, RL, ROK, SWY, WAG ...

Analyst Calls: EBAY, ERIC, MMI, MSI, NKE, QCOM, RL, ROK, SWY, WAG ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Walgreen (WAG) and Triumph Group (TGI) to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Focus Media (FMCN) to buy from neutral at Goldman.
• Home Depot (HD) to outperform from market perform at FBR Capital.
• Arbitron (ARB) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Waddell & Reed (WDR) and Legg Mason (LM) to overweight from equal weight, and Janus Capital (JNS) to overweight from underweight, at Barclays.
• Central Euro Media (CETV) to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• GenOn Energy (GEN) and Ntelos (NTLS) to outperform from sector perform at RBC Capital.
• Cooper Tire (CTB) to buy from neutral and Goodyear Tire (GT) to buy from underperform at BofA/Merrill.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AOL, FMCN, GT, HD, JNJ, JNS, LOW, QCOM, RY, UA, WAG ...

Analyst Calls: AOL, FMCN, GT, HD, JNJ, JNS, LOW, QCOM, RY, UA, WAG ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 09 Dec 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"As consumers continue to upgrade to high-end smartphones, they are paying more and more for each device," says Stephen Leeb.

The editor of The Complete Investor explains, "In turn, this is helping Qualcomm (QCOM), which receives licensing royalty for the average price of the phones running its chips.

"Recently reported earnings were quite impressive. Company sales rose 9.7 percent year over year to $2.95 billion, outpacing consensus estimates of $2.85 billion.

Continue reading High-End Smartphones Boost Qualcomm (QCOM)

High-End Smartphones Boost Qualcomm (QCOM) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 01 Dec 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Qualcomm (QCOM) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.
• JPMorgan upgraded Allegheny Tech (ATI) to overweight from neutral.
• NetApp (NTAP) was upgraded to buy from hold at Canaccord.
• Estee Lauder (EL) was upgraded to perform from underperform at Oppenheimer.
• Citigroup upgraded Suntech (STP) to hold from sell.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ABT, ALU, CSCO, EL, F, KKR, QCOM, RIMM, SAP, STP, TIVO ...

Analyst Calls: ABT, ALU, CSCO, EL, F, KKR, QCOM, RIMM, SAP, STP, TIVO ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Options Update: Qualcomm Options Active as Shares Rally on Guidance originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: QE2 Follow-On and Obama Compromise (ADBE, AMGN, AAPL, DAL, NEM, QCOM, WFMI)

Closing Bell: QE2 Follow-On and Obama Compromise (ADBE, AMGN, AAPL, DAL, NEM, QCOM, WFMI) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 04 Nov 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Options Update: Qualcomm November Volatility Elevated into EPS and Analyst Meeting originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 03 Nov 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It will be a busy week. Republicans are poised to gain control of the House of Representatives and gain governorships in Tuesday's mid-term elections. Also, the Federal Reserve is expected to announce another round of quantitative easing Wednesday, following the FOMC meeting. Major retailers are scheduled to report October same-store sales Thursday, while the October unemployment rate, announced on Friday, is expected to remain at 9.6%.

Toyota's (TM) fiscal second-quarter results will be one of the highlights on the earnings front this week. After three periods of way underestimating Toyota's earnings, have the analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters got it right this time? The stock sure could use a boost. Teva Pharmaceuticals (TEVA) is in a similar situation; i.e., high expectations for this week's quarterly results but a stock in need of a boost. Marathon (MRO) and Starbucks (SBUX) are also expected to post strong earnings growth this week, but both stocks are riding high.

Continue reading Week in Preview: Election, QE2, Unemployment and More Earnings

Week in Preview: Election, QE2, Unemployment and More Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 31 Oct 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Qualcomm (QCOM) is benefiting from consumers' continued love affair with mobile phones," notes growth stock specialist Stephen Leeb.

The editor of The Complete Investor explains, "The San Diego-based company licenses mobile technologies to cell phone manufacturers; its royalties rise as phone prices go up.

"In the latest quarter the company beat expectations, and going forward it forecasts strong unit sales and higher average prices as well.

Continue reading Qualcomm (QCOM): Smartphone Royalties

Qualcomm (QCOM): Smartphone Royalties originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.