Analyst Upgrades

• Goldman upgraded BP (BP) to buy from neutral.
• STEC (STEC) was upgraded to buy from hold at Needham.
• MCG Capital (MCGC) was upgraded to buy from hold at BB&T.
• Corporate Office (OFC) was upgraded to market perform from underperform at FBR Capital.
• Citigroup upgraded K-Sea Transportation (KSP) and Post Properties (PPS) to hold from sell.
• BofA/Merrill upgraded Embraer (ERJ) to buy from underperform.
• Wilmington Trust (WL) was upgraded to neutral from underperform at Macquarie.
• Parkway Properties (PKY) was upgraded to hold from sell at Stifel Nicolaus.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: BP, EOG, FDO, MOT, MRO, NEM, NOK, ODP, RIMM, TGB ...

Analyst Calls: BP, EOG, FDO, MOT, MRO, NEM, NOK, ODP, RIMM, TGB ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 03 Nov 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• UBS upgraded Dr Pepper Snapple (DPS) to buy from neutral, citing strong fundamentals and buybacks. The firm raised its target to $42 from $31.
• Piper Jaffray upgraded ProAssurance (PRA) to overweight from neutral. The firm has a $76 price target on shares.
• Hershey (HSY) and Sunoco (SUN) were upgraded to sell from conviction sell at Goldman.
• Level 3 Comm (LVLT) was upgraded to neutral from underweight at JPMorgan.
• Cathay Pacific (CPCAY) was upgraded to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: BBBY, DPS, HSY, MT, PSYS, SUN, TMK, YHOO ...

Analyst Calls: BBBY, DPS, HSY, MT, PSYS, SUN, TMK, YHOO ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage on BloggingStocks:

• American International Group Inc. (AIG) posted a big loss and warned it may require additional assistance.
• Athenahealth (ATHN) shares sank after it delayed earnings and its annual report, and warned of restatements.
• Barnes & Noble Inc. (BKS) Q3 sales jumped on popularity of the Nook reader but same-store sales declined.
• Brocade Communications Systems Inc. (BRCD) disappointing report and guidance caused a sell-off in shares.
• Dell Inc. (DELL) acquisitions and better-than-expected earnings may not be enough to stop shrinking market share.
• Gap Inc. (GPS) rose after it beat earnings estimates, raised its dividend and announced stock buybacks.

Continue reading Earnings Highlights: AIG, Dell, Gap, Heinz, Macy's, RadioShack, Sears ...

Earnings Highlights: AIG, Dell, Gap, Heinz, Macy's, RadioShack, Sears ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 27 Feb 2010 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• RBC Capital upgraded FMC Technologies (FMC) to outperform from sector perform. The firm upgraded shares based on expectations that subsea order flow and backlog will be significantly higher than previous forecasts. The firm has a $70 target on shares.
• Citigroup upgraded ONEOK Partners LP (OKS) to buy from hold due to valuation and maintains a $65 price target on the stock.
• Needham upgraded Autodesk (ADSK) to buy from hold following the Q4 report and guidance. The firm has a $31 target on the stock.
• Morgan Stanley upgraded Under Armour (UA) to equal weight from underweight, citing valuation. The firm raised its target to $27 from $23.
• EOG Resources (EOG) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Goldman.
• FPL Group (FPL) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.
• Novo Nordisk (NVO) was upgraded to buy from hold at Jefferies.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ADSK, UA, NVO, VIA, CRM, APA, STD ...

Analyst Calls: ADSK, UA, NVO, VIA, CRM, APA, STD ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 24 Feb 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage on BloggingStocks:

• Apollo Group Inc. (APOL) second quarter EPS guidance fell short of analysts' estimates, sending shares lower.
• CBS Corp. (CBS) higher Q4 earnings were in line with analysts' expectations but free cash flow declined.
• Deere & Co. (DE) posted higher Q1 earnings that easily topped expectations, sending shares sharply higher.
• Gap Inc. (GPS) received a downgrade from an analyst that foresees contracting earnings, returns and margins.
• Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ) better-than-expected Q1 results were accompanied by a better-than-expected outlook.

Continue reading Earnings Highlights: CBS, Deere, HP, Kraft, MGM, Walmart, Whole Foods ...

Earnings Highlights: CBS, Deere, HP, Kraft, MGM, Walmart, Whole Foods ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 20 Feb 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Auriga upgraded Intel (INTC) to buy from hold to reflect the stock's relative valuation after channel checks indicated PC shipment plans continue to be solid. The firm raised its target price on shares to $24 from $20.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded RenaissanceRE (RNR) to buy from hold on valuation and believes stock buybacks and reserve releases will drive the company's growth. The firm raised its target price on shares to $65 from $59.
• UBS upgraded Philip Morris (PM) to buy from neutral based on increased confidence in its earnings outlook and relative valuation. The firm raised its target to $54 from $49.
• Chevron (CVX) was raised to outperform from market perform at Bernstein.
• Barnes & Noble (BKS) was upgraded to sell from conviction sell at Goldman Sachs.
• Deutsche Bank (DB) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.

Continue reading Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades and Initiations: ADI, CI, COP, CVX, DB, INTC, JCP, PM ...

Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades and Initiations: ADI, CI, COP, CVX, DB, INTC, JCP, PM ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Deutsche Bank upgraded Cemex (NYSE: CX) to Buy from Hold on decreased dilution risk following the company's successful refinancing and raised its target on shares to $15 from $11.20.
• Rochdale upgraded Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) to Buy from Neutral and raised its target to $65. The firm is positive on Wal-Mart's defensive characteristics, cyclical upside, and competitive position.
• JPMorgan upgraded Gartner Group (NYSE: IT) to Overweight from Neutral to reflect stabilization in IT industry spending and the stock's attractive valuation. The firm has a $23 price target on the stock.
• Cavium Networks (NASDAQ: CAVM) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Barclays.
• Borg-Warner (NYSE: BWA) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Nanometrics (NASDAQ: NANO) was upgraded to Outperform from Perform at Oppenheimer.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: BJ, CX, MRK, VLKAY, WMT ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: BJ, CX, MRK, VLKAY, WMT ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF) reported dismal Q1 numbers as same-store sales plunged.
• Applied Materials Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT) dismal Q2 results were in line with analysts' expectations.
• Bankrate Inc. (NASDAQ: RATE) reported lower earnings and revenue for Q1 and offered no guidance.
• Blockbuster Inc. (NYSE: BBI) earnings, revenue, and same-store sales all fell in the first quarter.
• Dr Pepper Snapple Group (NYSE: DPS) Q1 earnings declined but still topped analysts' expectations.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Walmart, JCPenney, Freddie Mac, Playboy, Whole Foods and more

Earnings highlights: Walmart, JCPenney, Freddie Mac, Playboy, Whole Foods and more originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 16 May 2009 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: Bears Lose See-Saw Trading Session (BAC, DELL, F, GM, MBI, STEC)

Closing Bell: Bears Lose See-Saw Trading Session (BAC, DELL, F, GM, MBI, STEC) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 12 May 2009 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Morgan Stanley upgraded Chesapeake Energy (NYSE: CHK) to Overweight from Equal Weight as they expect the company to benefit from higher natural gas prices in 2010. The firm has a $34 target on shares.
• Citigroup upgraded Energy Conversion (NASDAQ: ENER) to Hold from Sell on valuation is it finds the risk/reward balanced at current levels. The firm raised its target price to $16 from $13.
• Jefferies upgraded Lifetime Brands (NASDAQ: LCUT) to Buy from Underperform to reflect reduced liquidity concerns and an improved outlook for Global Direct Sellers. The firm raised its target price to $4 from $2.
• American Eagle (NYSE: AEO) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Barclays.
• TJX Companies (NYSE: TJX) was upgraded at Barclays to Overweight from Equal Weight and to Outperform from Netural at Credit Suisse.
• STEC Inc (NASDAQ: STEC) was raised to Overweight from Market Weight at Thomas Weisel.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: CHK, AEO, RBS, COF ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: CHK, AEO, RBS, COF ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 12 May 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) was upgraded to Add from Hold at WestLB.
  
• JP Morgan upgraded Shire Plc (NASDAQ: SHPGY) to overweight from Neutral to reflect Vyvanse share gains and valuation.
  
• Wachovia upgraded Jefferies (NYSE: JEF) to Market Perform from Underperform because they believe that the recent collapse of the large cap bank sector, Jefferies' cash equity business, and the company's partial privatization as a result of its Leucadia investment will shield shares.
  
• Canaccord upgraded Amylin Pharma (NASDAQ: AMLN) to Hold from Sell.
• ADC Telecomm (NASDAQ: ADCT) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Kaufman Bros. on valuation following the recent weakness.
• STEC Inc (NASDAQ: STEC) and Popular (NASDAQ: BPOP) were raised to Buy from Neutral at B. Riley.
  

• Merrill downgraded Disney (NYSE: DIS) to Underperform from Neutral and cut its target to $27 from $34 citing the impact from the current economic climate on earnings.
  
• Barclays downgraded IBM (NYSE: IBM) to Equal Weight from Overweight citing the impact from the weakening economy and the company's large exposure to the financial services industry. IBM's target was cut to $108 from $130.
  
• Jefferies downgraded Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM) to Underperform from Buy on increased risks of deteriorating payment terms and price pressure on renewals. The company's target was lowered to $36 from $75.
• Goldman downgraded First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR) and added shares to the Conviction Sell List.

Continue reading Analyst calls: ERIC, AMLN, DIS, IBM, CRM, FSLR, NOK, ALU ...

Analyst calls: ERIC, AMLN, DIS, IBM, CRM, FSLR, NOK, ALU ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Goldman upgraded shares of Novartis (NYSE: NVS) to Buy from Neutral as they believe the Alcon (NYSE: ACL) acquisition has diversified the company's business.
  
• Tyson Foods (NYSE: TSN) was upgraded to Equal Weight from Underweight on valuation.
  
• JP Morgan raised Albermarle (NYSE: ALB) to Overweight from Neutral.
  
• BMO Capital upgraded Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ: WYNN) to Outperform from Market Perform.
  
• Synovus Financial (NYSE: SNV) was lifted to Buy from Hold at Sterne Agee.

• Morgan Stanley downgraded Reynolds American (NYSE: RAI) to Underweight from Equal Weight based on the impact from Altria's (NYSE: MO) purchase of competitor UST (NYSE: UST), which may result in pricing pressure.
  
• Goldman downgraded AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN) to Sell from Neutral as they believe shares do not support near-term fundamentals.
• Max Capital (NASDAQ: MXGL) was downgraded to neutral from Buy at Banc of America.
  
• AudioCodes (NASDAQ: AUDC) was lowered at Merrill to Neutral from Buy.
  
• Pinnacle Financial (NASDAQ: PNFP) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Baird.

Continue reading Analyst calls: NVS, TSN, WYNN, RAI, AZN, HAIN, TEVA, SYMC ...

Analyst calls: NVS, TSN, WYNN, RAI, AZN, HAIN, TEVA, SYMC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 11 Sep 2008 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Goldman upgraded BT Group (NYSE: BT) to Buy from Neutral on valuation and improved earnings visibility.
  
• Soleil upgraded shares of Jo Ann Stores (NYSE: JAS) to Buy from Hold following the company's Q2 upside surprise to reflect strong fundamentals and market share gains. The firm raised Jo Ann's target to $30 from $25.
  
• Amylin Pharma (NASDAQ: AMLN) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Merrill Lynch.
  
• Energen (NYSE: EGN) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at UBS.

• Roth Capital downgraded shares of Warner Chilcott (NASDAQ: WCRX) to Hold from Buy pending patent clarity for the company's lead drug, Loestrin 24 for birth control. The firm lowered their target to $18 from $20.
• JP Morgan cut China Mobile (NYSE: CHL) to Underweight from Overweight as they believe increased competition may limit earnings growth.
  
• Cantor downgraded shares of Cell Genesys (NASDAQ: CEGE) to Hold from Buy following the termination of the VITAL-2 Phase III clinical trial. The firm also lowered their target to $2 from $10.
• Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) was lowered to Neutral from Outperform at Credit Suisse.
  
• Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD) was downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight at Lehman.
  
• Cinemark (NYSE: CNK) was downgraded at BMO Capital to Market Perform from Outperform.

Continue reading Analyst calls: BT, JAS, EGN, CHL, KO, GILD, DWA ...

Analyst calls: BT, JAS, EGN, CHL, KO, GILD, DWA ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Oppenheimer & Co reiterated its "outperform" rating on STEC (NASDAQ: STEC) saying that "We remain bullish on STEC's unfolding solid state drive (SSD) story and see further room for shares to run," according to the AP.

Wachovia upgraded Sun Microsystems (NASDAQ: JAVA) from "market perform" to "outperform," according to Briefing.com The news service also writes that Bernstein has downgraded EDS (NYSE: EDS) to "market perform" to "outperform."

Staples (NASDAQ: SPLS) raised to "buy" from "hold" at Jefferies according to Briefing.com.

Early analyst calls: EDS, JAVA ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 14 May 2008 07:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• A newly published report by Standard & Poor's said that the performance of organizations such as Federal National Mortgage Association (NYSE: FNM), or Fannie Mae, and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (NYSE: FRE), or Freddie Mac, could directly affect the U.S. economy and the country's credit rating, especially if they have to be rescued by the government, according to the Wall Street Journal's "Credit Markets" column.
• Seagate Technology LLC (NYSE: STX), a hard drive maker, filed a patent infringement suit in San Francisco against STEC Inc (NASDAQ: STEC) over four patents related to technology used to store data on computer chips, the Wall Street Journal reported.
• The Financial Times reported that Citigroup Incorporated (NYSE: C) is allowing private equity groups such as Apollo, The Blackstone Group LP (NYSE: BX) and TPG that are bidding for up to $12B of its leveraged loans to 'cherry-pick' from a wide range of assets with different credit ratings and prices.

• According to analysts, Reuters reported that technology industry leaders that include International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE: IBM), Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ: ORCL), Cisco Systems Inc (NASDAQ: CSCO) and Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE: HPQ) are among the companies with large cash reserves that could be used to fund acquisitions.

Newspaper wrap-up: If the U.S. has to save Fannie and Freddie, triple-A rating could suffer originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Deutsche Bank downgraded shares of StatoilHydro (NYSE: STO) to Hold from Buy after the company cut its production forecast.
  
• Credit Suisse lowered its rating on Portugal Telecom (NYSE: PT) to Underperform from Outperform on competition concerns.
  
• B. Riley downgraded shares of STEC Inc. (NASDAQ: STEC) to Neutral from Buy on valuation, as they believe the risk/reward is neutral following the recent rally.

• Jefferies downgraded Red Hat (NYSE: RHT) to Hold from Buy.
  
• UBS downgraded Palm Inc. (NASDAQ: PALM) to Sell from Neutral.
  
• Deutsche Bank lowered Telekom SA (NYSE: TKG) to Hold from Buy.
  
• Goldman downgraded Trident Microsystems (NASDAQ: TRID) to Neutral from Buy.

Analyst downgrades: STO, PT and STEC originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 10 Dec 2007 12:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• SanDisk (NASDAQ: SNDK) was initiated with a Neutral rating at Cowen, as the firm believes it could face challenges in Q4 NAND flash memory demand given supply.

• Rodman & Renshaw initiated shares of Indevus (NASDAQ: IDEV) with a Market Outperform rating and $10 target. The firm believes Indevus Nebibo and Sanctura XR upcoming events provide an attractive entry point.

• Morgan Stanley initiated shares of Integra LifeSciences (NASDAQ: IART) with an Equal Weight rating and $55 target, citing competitive risks from larger competitors.

• Shares of Level 3 Communications (NASDAQ: LVLT) were initiated at Raymond James with an Underperform rating, as the firm believes estimates will be difficult to achieve given high debt levels and free cash flow.

• Cowen initiated shares of STEC Inc (NASDAQ: STEC) and Spansion (NASDAQ: SPSN) with Neutral ratings and shares of Silicon Motion Technology Corp (NASDAQ: SIMO) with an Outperform rating.

• Pacific Crest initiated shares of Universal Electronics (NASDAQ: UEIC) with a Sector Perform rating on valuation.

• Merrill Lynch started shares of FirstFed Financial (NYSE: FED) with a Sell rating.

• Goldman Sachs started shares of Herbalife (NYSE: HLF) with a Buy rating and $50 target.

Analyst initiations: HLF, LVLT and SNDK originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 03 Aug 2007 10:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Deutsche Bank downgraded Groupe Danone (NYSE: DA), Unilever (NYSE: UL) and Nestle (OTC: NSRGY) to Hold from Buy as the firm believes the three food producers will suffer from rising prices for agricultural commodities.

• SMH Capital downgraded shares of TiVo (NASDAQ: TIVO) to Sell from Hold on valuation as the firm believes the market has already priced in considerable penetration of the new TIVO/Comcast bundled DVR into Comcast's (CMCSK) core digital sub base.

• Matrix downgraded Circuit City Stores (NYSE: CC) to Strong Sell from Hold as the firm believes increasing competition is leading to lower selling prices and decreasing profits.

• BMO Capital cut AutoZone (NYSE: AZO) to Underperform from Market Perform on expectations that higher gas prices will be a drag on discretionary product sales...

• Goldman added Applied Materials, Inc (NASDAQ: AMAT) to its Americas Conviction Sell List.

• Oppenheimer downgraded Federated Department Stores (NYSE: FD) to Neutral from Buy.

• STEC, Inc (NASDAQ: STEC) was cut to Neutral from Buy at Merrill Lynch and to Sector Perform from Outperform at CIBC after weak Q1 results.

• Boyd Gaming Corp (NYSE: BYD) was cut to Market Perform from Outperform at BMO Capital.

• Baird downgraded Amgen, Inc (NASDAQ: AMGN) to Neutral from Outperform.

Analyst downgrades 5-15-07: AMAT, AMGN, CC, FD and UL originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 May 2007 11:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Suntrust initiated MasterCard Inc (NYSE: MA) with a Buy rating and $130 target, believing the company is the best positioned to benefit from the secular shift from cash to e-payments at the point of sales.

• Domino's Pizza Inc (NYSE: DPZ) was initiated with an Outperform rating and $38 target at Friedman Billings.

• AG Edwards initiated STEC Inc (NASDAQ: STEC) with a Buy rating and $12 target. The firm feels shares are undervalued and that the company's growth profile and profitability should dramatically improve post-consumer business sale and revenue recognition change.

• California Pizza Kitchen (NASDAQ: CPKI) was initiated with a Market Perform rating and $35 target at Friedman Billings.

• Stanford believes Watts Water Technologies, Inc (NYSE: WTS) is one of the more compelling names in the water infrastructure space and initiated shares with a Buy rating and $42 target.

• Morgan Keegan believes Horizon Lines Inc's (NYSE: HRZ) earnings potential has yet to be realized and initiated shares with an Outperform rating.

• Lazard initiated several solar power companies with Buy ratings: SunPower Corp (NASDAQ: SPWR), First Solar, Inc (NASDAQ: FSLR), Evergreen Solar, Inc (NASDAQ: ESLR) and Energy Conversion Devices, Inc (NASDAQ: ENER).

Analyst initiations 3-15-07: MasterCard & Domino's Pizza initiated today originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 15 Mar 2007 11:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.