MOST NOTEWORTHY: Allegheny Tech, Carpenter Tech, Haynes, Motorola and Machinery stocks were today's noteworthy downgrades:
JP Morgan downgraded Allegheny Tech (NYSE:ATI), Carpenter Tech (NYSE:CRS) and Haynes (NASDAQ:HAYN) to Neutral from Overweight based on the decline in nickel prices and its impact on nickel-based metals demand on valuation, as they find the risk/reward less attractive following the recent rally and increased raw material costs.
Oppenheimer downgraded shares of Motorola (NYSE:MOT) to Underperform from Perform after channel checks indicated the company could miss Q2 handset guidance and continued market share losses.
UBS said the risk/reward profile for owning Machinery stocks given macro challenges and valuations. The firm downgraded Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) and Kennametal (NYSE:KMT) to Sell from Neutral and UnitedRentals (NYSE:URI) and RSC Holdings (NYSE:RRR) to Neutral from Buy. Additionally, shares of Paccar (NASDAQ:PCAR) were cut to Sell from Neutral and Navistar (OTC:NAVZ) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy due to weak U.S. truck demand.
MOST NOTEWORTHY: Penske Automotive, CarMax, Towerstream, Solera and Northstar were today's noteworthy initiations:
Kevin Dann initiated shares of Penske Automotive Group Inc (NYSE: PAG) with a Buy rating and $25 target. The firm believes shares deserve a higher multiple given the company's reduced exposure to slower growing domestic brands combined with the increased penetration o luxury as a percentage of industry sales.
CarMax Inc (NYSE: KMX) was also initiated at Kevin Dann with a Buy rating and $28 target, as they expect the multiple expansion to continue as confidence builds in the company's sales and expense strategy.
Think Equities started shares of Towerstream Corporation (NASDAQ: TWER) with a Buy rating and $5 target and said the company is rapidly growing given robust demand fro high bandwidth services, market expansion, sales force growth, and higher ARPU services.
Barrington believes Solera Holdings Inc (NYSE: SLH) is positioned to capture growth through technology adoption in claims processing by insurance companies, starting shares off with an Outperform rating and $27 target.
Jefferies resumed coverage of Northstar Neuroscience Inc (NASDAQ: NSTR) with a Buy rating and $21 target, as they expect the company's Phase III EVEREST trial to yield positive positives, setting the stage for an FDA approval by Q109.
OTHER INITIATIONS:
Friedman Billings started shares of IPG Photonics Corporation (NASDAQ: IPGP) with an Outperform rating and $28 target and added shares to its Top Picks List.
MOST NOTEWORTHY: National Grid, Shire Plc, On Semiconductor and Enbridge were today's noteworthy upgrades:
Deutsche Bank upgraded shares of National Grid (NYSE: NGG) to Buy from Hold as they believe the Keyspan deal will be positive for shareholders.
Goldman upgraded shares of Shire Plc (NASDAQ: SHPGY) to Buy from Neutral and added the stock to their Conviction Buy List on valuation and expected gains in the ADHD market.
On Semiconductor (NASDAQ: ONNN) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Wachovia on valuation.
Enbridge Inc (NYSE: ENB) was raised to Sector Outperformer from Sector Performer at CIBC World Markets, as the firm sees an attractive 3-year return potential as new projects come into service and expects the stock's relative underperformance to come to an end.
MOST NOTEWORTHY: AstraZeneca plc (AZN) and the interactive Eetertainment sector were today's noteworthy initiations:
Coverage on AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN) was resumed with a Buy rating at Deutsche Bank. The firm believes the company's change in EPS guidance to a cash basis is likely to lead to significant increases to EPS estimates.
Sirtris Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SIRT) was initiated by Rodman with an Outperform rating, at JP Morgan with an Overweight rating, at JMP Securities with a Market Outperform rating and at CIBC with a Sector Outperformer rating.
RSC Holdings (NYSE: RRR) was initiated at Baird with an Outperform rating, at Morgan Stanley with an Overweight rating, at CIBC with a Sector Outperform rating and at Deutsche Bank with a Buy rating.
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MOST NOTEWORTHY: Allegheny Tech, Carpenter Tech, Haynes, Motorola and Machinery stocks were today's noteworthy downgrades:.gif){kind=logo}
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