Symantec (SYMC) is the leader in the security software market and competes with McAfee -- which was recently acquired by Intel (INTC) -- as well as with Computer Associates, AVG, TrendMicro and Kaspersky Labs. Symantec recently released a report in which it noted that cyber attack tool kits have become more accessible and much easier to use. This report followed incidents in December in which credit card giants Visa (V) and MasterCard (MA) were targeted by cyber attacks.

While such cyber attacks are dangerous for businesses and individuals, they create new business opportunities for antivirus software companies like Symantec, as demand for these products increases. We estimate that security software (for both consumers and businesses) constitutes roughly 50% of our $21.36 price estimate for Symantec stock, while storage software effectively makes up the balance. Our price estimate for Symantec stock is about 20% above the current market price.

Analyst Upgrades

• Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) to positive from neutral at Susquehanna.
• tw telecom (TWTC) to outperform from neutral at Cowen.
• Agree Realty (ADC) to buy from neutral at Janney Capital.
• Millicom (MICC) to buy from neutral at Nomura.
• BioMed Realty (BMR) to outperform from market perform at FBR Capital.
• Realty Income (O) to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.

Analyst Upgrades

• BP (BP) to buy from hold at RBS.
• Symantec (SYMC) to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• GenOn Energy (GEN) and Nationwide Health Properties (NHP) to buy from hold at Citigroup.
• Logitech (LOGI) and Patriot Coal (PCX) to neutral from sell, as well as ARM Holdings (ARMH) to buy from neutral, at Goldman.
• Silvercorp Metals (SVM) to outperform from market perform at BMO Capital.
• Cinemark (CNK) to equal weight from underweight at Morgan Stanley.
• Smith & Nephew (SNN) to market perform from underperform at Bernstein.
• Molex (MOLX) to overweight from underweight at JPMorgan.

Analyst Upgrades

• Verizon (VZ), FEMSA (FMX), Vornado (VNO), Duke Realty (DRE) and AvalonBay (AVB) to buy from neutral, as well as Carnival (CCL) to conviction buy from buy, at Goldman.
• Symantec (SYMC) to buy from hold at Citigroup.
• Copano Energy (CPNO), DCP Midstream (DPM) and Inergy (NRGY) to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.
• SYNNEX (SNX) to strong buy from buy at Needham.
• Eli Lilly (LLY) to hold from sell at Hapoalim.
• World Wrestling (WWE) to buy from neutral at Roth Capital.

Analyst Upgrades

• Goldman upgraded Republic Services (RSG) to buy from neutral and raised its price target to $34 from $32. The firm cites valuation for the upgrade.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded MeadWestvaco (MWV) to buy from hold due to valuation and keeps a $29 price target for shares.
• UBS upgraded Symantec (SYMC) to buy from neutral.
• Lloyds Banking (LYG) upgraded to add from neutral at WestLB.
• Ternium (TX) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.

Over the years, Internet infrastructure company, VeriSign (VRSN), has been an aggressive dealmaker. But integrating and managing large, complex organizations is no easy feat and can be a drag on results. So ironically, VeriSign has spent the past couple years unloading its prior deals. And the strategy has worked, with the stock price making a nice move. However, future gains may be muted.

This week, VeriSign reported its second-quarter results. But looking at the whole report would be misleading. Why? Keep in mind that VeriSign is in the process of selling its security division to Symantec (SYMC) for a cool $1.28 billion. The deal included Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Certificate services, the Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) services and the VeriSign Trust Services.

Analyst Upgrades

• Wells Fargo upgraded Home Properties (HME) to outperform from market perform. The firm thinks that rental rate in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic are poised to increase, while Home Properties provides relatively cheap access to these markets.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded VeriSign (VRSN) to buy from hold after the company sold its authentication business to Symantec (SYMC). The firm upped its target for VRSN shares to $35 from $25.
• Macquarie upgraded Nexen (NXY) to outperform from neutral following the company's divestiture of its noncore heavy-oil properties in Western Canada.
• UPS (UPS) was upgraded to buy from hold at Stifel Nicolaus.
• Dell (DELL) was upgraded to buy from hold at Standpoint Research.
• Emerson Electric (EMR) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Bernstein.

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

• AK Steel Holding Corp. (NYSE: AKS) reported better-than-expected Q3 results but shares fell anyway.
• Baidu Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU) posted strong Q3 results but shares sold off on a disappointing guidance.
• Burger King Holdings Inc. (NYSE: BKC) said lower Q1 earnings fell short of analysts expectations.
• Dreamworks Animation SKG Inc. (NYSE: DWA) topped Q3 profit and revenue estimates, lifting shares.
• Geron Corp. (NASDAQ: GERN) posted a narrower-than-expected Q3 loss, sending shares sharply higher.
• Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (NYSE: HMC) reported lower Q2 earnings and sales on weak demand for cars.

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

• Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) shares rose even though it reported a wider loss for the quarter.
• American Express Co. (NYSE: AXP) posted better-than-expected Q1 results but warned of challenges.
• Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX) reported a net loss and slumping revenues for the first quarter.
• Center Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: CLFC) was downgraded following its Q1 earnings report.
• Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) posted lower Q3 earnings that still topped analysts estimates.

Symantec (NASDAQ: SYMC - option chain) stock is falling today after the company reported a first-quarter loss of $249.4 million, or 30 cents per share. SYMC's adjusted profit of 38 cents per share met analysts' forecasts of 38 cents per share, but the company's revenue of $1.47 billion missed projections of $1.52 billion. If you think this stock won't be rising too far in the coming months, then it could be a good time to look at a bearish hedged play on SYMC.

This morning, SYMC opened at $16.04. So far today the stock has hit a low of $14.48 and a high of $16.09. As of 11:35, SYMC is trading at $15.00, down $2.59 (-14.7%). The chart for SYMC looks neutral and S&P gives SYMC a neutral 3 STARS (out of 5) hold ranking.

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

• Aetna Inc. (NYSE: AET) posted a large-than-expected earnings decline due to bad investments.
• AmeriCredit Corp.(NYSE: ACF) was downgraded despite topping Q1 expectations.
• BP (NYSE: BP) Q3 earnings and revenue soared due to surging energy prices.
• CBS Corp. (NYSE: CBS) Q3 results included some big charges and no free cash.
• Clorox Co. (NYSE: CLX) posted strong Q1 results that easily topped Wall Street expectations.
• Colgate-Palmolive Co. (NYSE: CL) posted better-than-expected Q3 profits lifted by price increases.
• DivX Inc. (NASDAQ: DIVX) topped earnings expectations and offered revised guidance.
• Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) narrowed its net loss in Q2 and matched expectations.
• First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) Q3 revenue more than doubled, results easily topping estimates.
• Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. (NYSE: HIG) posted its first quarterly loss in five years.
• Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) topped Q3 earnings estimates and offered full-year guidance.
• Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE: KFT) solid Q3 results were helped by higher prices and offered neutral guidance.
• McAfee Inc. (NYSE: MFE) reported that it topped earnings estimates, sending shares higher.
• Nintendo Co. (OTC: NTDOY) posted solid results driven by popularity of the Wii and DS systems.
• Procter & Gamble Co. (NYSE: PG) topped Q1 expectations but lowered its full-year forecast.
• Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE) Q3 earnings tumbled on the recession and exchange rate issues.
• Symantec Corp. (NASDAQ: SYMC) earnings were affected a loss of market share and currency issues.
• U.S. Steel Corp. (NYSE: X) reported the most profitable quarter in its history and beat estimates.
• Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) Q3 earnings matched expectations but shares rose.

This post was written by Minyanville contributor Adam Katz.

Regarding Symantec Corporation (NASDAQ: SYMC) earnings, the company is having a tough time in this environment for several reasons. First, its consumer business saw a massive slowdown starting in September. Digital River, Inc. (NASDAQ: DRIV) reported earnings a day before SYMC and tipped the hand of SYMC's consumer business stating that its core business grew 27% sans SYMC, yet the business overall grew at 17% YoY.

Secondly, currency helped SYMC over the past two years and the strength in the dollar has created a stiff headwind.

Third, the company is losing market share in the enterprise to McAfee, Inc. (NYSE: MFE) which, due to more efficient R&D as well as smart acquisitions, can now outstack SYMC.

So what to do here? The stock is cheap, and given the amount of recurring revenue that it has, along with the number of pure play software companies that have technology SYMC needs, the company will likely assemble a competitive response. Then it becomes a function of management execution. Ultimately, I think MFE presents the better risk reward for growth investors, while SYMC is more appropriate for a value investor looking to buy discounted cashflow.

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

• Activision Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) posted stellar results on the popularity of Guitar Hero and Transformers.
• Airgas Inc. (NYSE: ARG) beat Q4 estimtates with record earnings and raised its guidance.
• Amkor Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: AMKR) beat Q1 expectations on strong demand for wireless.
• Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: APC) reported strong Q1 results that beat Wall Street estimates.
• Barnes Group Inc. (NYSE: B) beat Q1 expectations on its "global reach" and raised its 2008 guidance.
• Coinstar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSTR) beat Q1 expectations and raised its full-year guidance.
• DirecTV Group Inc. (NASDAQ: DTV) posted better-than-expected results and announced share buybacks.
• Double-Take Software (NASDAQ: DBTK) beat Q1 expectations and raised its Q2 and 2008 guidance.
• Goldcorp Inc. (NYSE: GG) profits surged in the first quarter on record high gold prices.
• ICON plc (NASDAQ: ICLR) beat Q1 expectations and raised its full-year guidance.
• Marvel Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: MVL) easily beat Q1 estimates and raised its full-year guidance.
• Molson Coors Brewing Co. (NYSE: TAP) reported a surge in Q1 profits that beat Wall Street estimates.
• Panera Bread Co. (NASDAQ: PNRA) beat Q1 expectations and lifted its Q2 and 2008 forecasts.
• Symantec Corp. (NASDAQ: SYMC) beat Q4 expectations and raised its Q1 outlook.
• Transocean Inc. (NYSE: RIG) Q1 profits more than doubled due to soaring oil prices.
• Unilever (NYSE: UL) posted strong results, with revenues beating estimates for the first time in six years.
• UTStarcom Inc. (NASDAQ: UTSI) released a preliminary guidance well above expectations.
• Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) posted better-than-expected results on success of its theme parks.

Back in 1998, Gene Hoffman founded eMusic. No doubt, it was smart timing. However, with the emergence of Napster, Hoffman realized he needed to provide users with a better option. "Our approach was to allow full access to our music library for a fee," said Hoffman, in an interview with me.

It was certainly a smart move. In fact, it became the basis of his next venture: Vindicia, which has announced a venture round of $5.6 million. The investors include Leader Ventures and DCM.

Over the past few years, Vindicia has built a robust platform to allow for on-demand payment management, especially for digital goods. The system helps with credit card breakage, fraud, compliance and various currencies.
Some of the customers include Symantec (NASDAQ: SYMC) and Reunion.com.

As seen with the success of companies like Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM), the subscription business model definitely has a lot of power. Yet, it requires a sophisticated infrastructure, which can be expensive. "Billing is not a core competency," said Hoffman. "It's something that should be outsourced so a company can focus on what it does the best."

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates DealProfiles.com.

Symantec Corporation (NASDAQ: SYMC) shares are trading higher this morning on news of two buyouts in the software industry. Sun Microsystems (NASDAQ: JAVA) announced this morning that it has agreed to buy open-source software maker MySQL AB for $1 billion, and Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) reported this morning that it has agreed to buy BEA Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: BEAS) for about $8.5 billion. Investors might think that SYMC could be an eventual buyout target. If you think that the company won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on SYMC.

After hitting a one-year high of $21.32 in October, the stock hit a one-year low of $15.15 last week. SYMC opened this morning at $15.16. So far today the stock has hit a low of $15.57 and a high of $16.16. As of 11:00, SYMC is trading at $16.12, up $0.72 (4.7%). The chart for SYMC looks bearish and steady, while S&P gives the stock a neutral 3 STARS (out of 5) hold rating.