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.

Mobile chips leader Qualcomm (QCOM) is planning to launch a variety of 'augmented reality' software for use in different consumer applications, according to Bloomberg/Businessweek.

Qualcomm wants to drive demand for its powerful processors that can handle high speed computing tasks for mobile devices. To do that, it intends to promote processor intensive augmented reality applications. Augmented reality aims to aid consumers with what they see. By pointing the phone's camera to objects and scanning them, the application can then identify them in the database, and find relevant material.

Continue reading Qualcomm to Launch 'Augmented Reality' Software Applications

Qualcomm to Launch 'Augmented Reality' Software Applications originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 10:40:00 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.

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.

Qualcomm (QCOM) is spreading its wings. It said Wednesday it has agreed to purchase Atheros Communications (ATHR) for $3.2 billion, as reported by the Associated Press. Why is Qualcomm making this deal? What are the advantages to the company?

Qualcomm is a big player in supplying chips to wireless phones. It has been looking to put its products in tablets and social notebook computers.

Continue reading Qualcomm to Purchase Atheros for $3.2 Billion

Qualcomm to Purchase Atheros for $3.2 Billion originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 09:30:00 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.

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.

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.

Options Update: Qualcomm Volatility Flat into EPS and Analyst Meeting originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 20 Oct 2010 09:00:00 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.

Continue reading Qualcomm Rises on Apple Rumors

Qualcomm Rises on Apple Rumors originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM) may be at a tipping point right now. And for a stock that has seen four big price gaps during 2010, the move could be a big one. The question is, will the stock gap higher or lower?

Goldman Sachs -- citing influences like a higher mix of smartphones and tablets, the move from voice-to-data-centric devices in China and India and a weaker US dollar -- recently reiterated its Conviction Buy List rating for Qualcomm and raised its price target from $44 to $46.

Continue reading Time to Ride a Qualcomm Straddle?

Time to Ride a Qualcomm Straddle? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.