Analyst upgrades:

• PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Deutsche Bank.
• Fortress (NYSE: FIG) was upgraded at Citigroup to Hold from Sell.
• Prudential (NYSE: PUK) was lifted to Overweight from Neutral at JP Morgan.
• Keefe Bruyette upgraded Franklin Resources (NYSE: BEN) to Outperform from Market Perform and added shares to their Best Ideas List on valuation as they see an attractive risk/reward at current levels.
• UBS upgraded ASML Holding (NASDAQ: ASML) to Buy from Neutral on valuation as they believe the company remains a market leader.
• Oppenheimer raised Seattle Genetics (NASDAQ: SGEN) to Outperform from Perform on valuation following the recent weakness as they expect positive clinical news flow beginning in December.

• UBS downgraded U.S. Steel (NYSE: X) to Sell from Buy and lowered its target to $30 from $60 citing deteriorating U.S. conditions and concerns about the company's high fixed costs in a falling steel price environment.
• Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS.A) was downgraded to Underperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse.
  
• China Unicom (NYSE: CHU) was lowered to Underweight from Neutral at JP Morgan.

Continue reading Analyst calls: PEP, FIG, PUK, BEN, ASML, X, RDS.A, CHU, SVR ...

Analyst calls: PEP, FIG, PUK, BEN, ASML, X, RDS.A, CHU, SVR ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 27 Oct 2008 10:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

With news that American Idol contestant David Hernandez (I personally think Kady is the next idol) will remain in the singing contest despite reports that he used to be a nude performer at a male strip club in Phoenix, the question is whether the show itself should get rid of him, like they have done in the past, as well as how should investors treat publicly traded companies like Ricks Cabaret Int'l Inc. (NASDAQ: RICK)?

American Idol executive producer Ken Warwick told TVGuide.com he was unaware of the singer's past before the news report but that it would have made no difference. "We're never judgmental about what people do to earn a living. They've got to put food in people's mouths," he said. Historically, the way the show deals with these kind of controversies is a mixed bag. Last year, Antonella Barba appeared in provocative online photos and she remained. But Frenchie Davis, a Season 2 singer, was dropped after reports that as a 19-year-old she appeared on a website designed to appeal to men interested in underage girls.

There is an obvious difference. Neither Hernandez nor Barba ever did anything illegal. Though many viewers believe that what they have done is morally reprehensible, it is still not a crime, and why shouldn't they have an opportunity to try and change their lives.

Continue reading Investing in American Idol through strip clubs

Investing in American Idol through strip clubs originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.