Analyst Upgrades

• Chesapeake (CHK) to buy from hold at Canaccord.
• Biogen (BIIB) and Regeneron (REGN) to outperform from sector perform at RBC Capital.
• Caribou Coffee (CBOU) to outperform from neutral and Encore Energy (ENP) to neutral from underperform at RW Baird.
• Fluor (FLR) to market perform from underperform at BMO Capital.
• Hornbeck Offshore (HOS) to conviction buy from neutral at Goldman.
• Saks (SKS) and Zale (ZLC) to neutral from underperform at BofA/Merrill.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: BIIIB, CBOU, CELG, CHK, CIEN, HOS, LULU, RHT, SKS, ZLC ...

Analyst Calls: BIIIB, CBOU, CELG, CHK, CIEN, HOS, LULU, RHT, SKS, ZLC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Verizon (VZ) to conviction buy from buy at Goldman.
• CSX (CSX) to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo.
• AK Steel (AKS) to overweight from neutral, as well as Lorillard (LO) and Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB) to neutral from underweight, at JPMorgan.
• Marathon Oil (MRO) to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.
• Corning (GLW) to buy from outperform at CLSA.
• Quest Diagnostics (DGX) to buy from hold at Jefferies and to outperform from sector perform at RBC Capital.
• Salesforce.com (CRM) to buy from neutral at Roth Capital.
• Baker Hughes (BHI) to buy from hold at Weeden and to outperform from neutral at Macquarie.
• Western Digital (WDC) and Seagate (STX) to buy from underperform at BofA/Merrill.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AKS, CIEN, CRM, CSX, DGX, GLW, LO, MRO, OXY, STX, VZ ...

Analyst Calls: AKS, CIEN, CRM, CSX, DGX, GLW, LO, MRO, OXY, STX, VZ ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: Stocks Tried, Failed to Bounce Back from Opening Losses (CAVO, HDY, TLAB, BPAX, ERIC)

Closing Bell: Stocks Tried, Failed to Bounce Back from Opening Losses (CAVO, HDY, TLAB, BPAX, ERIC) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• BB&T (BBT) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Janney Montgomery.
• Amylin (AMLN) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Leerink.
• Wells Fargo upgraded Morton's Restaurant (MRT) to outperform from market perform.
• Check Point (CHKP) was upgraded to overweight from neutral at HSBC.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded Excel Maritime (EXM) to buy from hold.
• JinkoSolar (JKS) was upgraded to buy from hold at Auriga.
• Piper Jaffray upgraded Compellent (CML) to overweight from neutral.
• BofA/Merrill upgraded Crane (CR) to buy from neutral.
• Goldman upgraded Wisconsin Energy (WEC) to conviction buy from buy and American Electric (AEP) to buy from neutral.
• Motorola (MOT) was upgraded due to increasing carrier support by MKM Partners.
• Under Armour (UA) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Sterne Agee.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ANF, BBT, COH, GPS, JCG, KKR, MOT, OSG, UA, UBS, WEC ...

Analyst Calls: ANF, BBT, COH, GPS, JCG, KKR, MOT, OSG, UA, UBS, WEC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Oppenheimer upgraded Teva (TEVA) to outperform from perform. The firm expects the company to generate strong 2H10 earnings and thinks the competition created by Novartis's (NVS) Gilenia will be limited.
• Citigroup upgraded Celanese (CE) to buy from hold, citing valuation and the company's move to add assets in China, as well as possible takeover interest.
• Needham raised Stereotaxis (STXS) to buy from hold as the firm thinks that strong clinical data recently announced by the company could result in faster adoption rates of its robotic surgery.
• BMO Capital upgraded Smurfit-Stone Container (SSCC) given strength in the containerboard market.
• Melco Crown (MPEL) was upgraded to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Goldman Sachs raised Temple-Inland (TIN) to buy from neutral.
• Barclays upgraded Lloyds Banking (LYG) to equal weight from underweight.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AMGN, APOL, CE, CELG, HGSI, RIMM, STXS, SUN, TEVA, VAL ...

Analyst Calls: AMGN, APOL, CE, CELG, HGSI, RIMM, STXS, SUN, TEVA, VAL ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Tellabs (TLAB): Enabling the Bandwidth Boom

Tellabs (TLAB): Enabling the Bandwidth Boom originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 25 Jun 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: A Curve Ball Day (BP, RMBS, TIVO, TGT, TLAB, WEN)

Closing Bell: A Curve Ball Day (BP, RMBS, TIVO, TGT, TLAB, WEN) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 09 Jun 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: The Bear Charge Continues (AAPL, TLCR, TLAB, CAB, GS)

Closing Bell: The Bear Charge Continues (AAPL, TLCR, TLAB, CAB, GS) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 07 Jun 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: Market Dips After Long Winning Streak (NEXM, LXK, PT, TLAB, MMM)

Closing Bell: Market Dips After Long Winning Streak (NEXM, LXK, PT, TLAB, MMM) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 27 Apr 2010 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: Volatility Reminder, Swings Both Ways (AMLN, NVO, VMW, CTXS, WFT, AAPL)

Closing Bell: Volatility Reminder, Swings Both Ways (AMLN, NVO, VMW, CTXS, WFT, AAPL) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• UBS upgraded Target (NYSE: TGT) to Buy from Neutral and raised its price target to $52 from $45 citing reduced inventories, some credit stability, and an improved back-to-school period.
• Credit Suisse said concerns regarding Safeway's (NYSE: SWY) price position are overblown and that earnings risk is limited. The firm upgraded shares to Outperform from Neutral and raised the target price to $25 from $22.
• Oppenheimer upgraded Canadian Solar (NASDAQ: CSIQ) to Outperform from Perform as it believes the story is underappreciated following the recent sector rally. The firm has a $14 price target on the stock.
• CME Group (NASDAQ: CME) was upgraded to buy from Neutral at Goldman.
• Freeport McMoRan (NYSE: FCX) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at JP Morgan.
• Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at FTN Equity.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: TGT, SWY, CSIQ, HOTT, MPEL, RIO, CPB, CVD and HGG

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: TGT, SWY, CSIQ, HOTT, MPEL, RIO, CPB, CVD and HGG originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 21 May 2009 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"If you are looking for maximum rebound potential, you have to go lower down on the quality spectrum; it is typically the lower quality and lower priced stocks that will have the largest gains when the market rebounds," says turnaround expert George Putnam.

In his industry-leading service focused on distressed companies, The Turnround Letter, he looks at a package of 10 stocks recently trading below $5 per share while also offering "bundles of cash."

Here's his review:

Continue reading Ten cash-rich, low-priced turnaround stocks

Ten cash-rich, low-priced turnaround stocks originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In this series, we take a look at the 25 stocks on the S&P 500 Index (SPX) that have turned in the worst performance during the past decade -- what went wrong, and what happens next.

Among telecom stocks that got smacked during the past decade, Ciena Corporation (NASDAQ: CIEN) took the hardest hit -- at least, among those companies that still exist in the same incarnation. Yes, that comment was directed at you, Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU).

Other telecom losers on our roster include Qwest Communications (NYSE: Q), JDS Uniphase (NASDAQ: JDSU), and Tellabs, Inc. (NASDAQ: TLAB) -- the latter of which also plays a key role in the forthcoming Ciena saga.

What went wrong? At number 3 on our list of SPX laggards, CIEN lost 90% of its value in the decade that ended June 30, 2008. The stock peaked at a split-adjusted $1,057 in October 2000, a zenith that marked the top of a steep ascent. The equity's ensuing plunge would be just as dramatic.

Continue reading Worst 10-year performers: Ciena Corporation's still waiting for that telecom turnaround

Worst 10-year performers: Ciena Corporation's still waiting for that telecom turnaround originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In this series, we take a look at the 25 stocks on the S&P 500 Index (SPX) that have turned in the worst performance during the past decade -- what went wrong, and what happens next.

Add Tellabs, Inc. (NASDAQ: TLAB) to the list of casualties from the Great Telecom Bust of the new millennium. It was a bloody massacre that highlighted the difficulties of forecasting; and, in particular, the danger of forecasting through the distorted lens of the dot-com bubble. When Internet traffic stopped multiplying at its previously exponential rate, the market was faced with a glut of supply and waning demand. Only the strong survived, but even they couldn't manage to thrive.

What went wrong? At No. 5 on our list of SPX underperformers, TLAB lost 87% of its value during the decade that ended June 30, 2008. The stock peaked at $77.25 in November 1999 before its momentum shifted.

In 1999, Tellabs was on an acquisition binge. A planned buyout of Ciena Corporation (NASDAQ: CIEN) had hit the skids, and the company made up for the loss by absorbing a series of smaller players -- within months, Tellabs told investors it would buy Alcatel's DSC Communications unit, Netcore Systems, and Salix Technologies.

Continue reading Worst 10-year performers: Shifting telecom landscape crippled Tellabs

Worst 10-year performers: Shifting telecom landscape crippled Tellabs originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Banc of America downgraded shares of both Nike and Foot Locker to Neutral from Buy, as the firm believes industry pressures in the U.S. could more than offset the potential turn in Europe and benefit from the 2008 Olympics.
• Cowen downgraded shares of ADTRAN, Bookham and Tellabs to Neutral from Outperform.
• Goldman Sachs also downgraded shares of Tellabs, to Sell from Neutral, as the firm believes the stock fully discounts the expected sales and margin improvement.

• Allergan Inc (NYSE: AGN) was downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight at Morgan Stanley citing limited upside.
• Friedman Billings removed The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (NASDAQ: CAKE) from its Top Picks and maintained its Outperform rating.
• Lehman downgraded shares of The First American Corporation (NYSE: FAF) to Equal-Weight from Overweight on increasing risk to the company's title margin and regulatory concerns.
• Matrix USA downgraded shares of Lowe's Companies Inc (NYSE: LOW) to Buy from Strong Buy on valuation.

Analyst downgrades 6-08-07: NKE, FL, TLAB, ADTN and BKHM originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 08 Jun 2007 10:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Whether it's building a distribution system that lets your cable company transmit voice-video-data, or providing the systems that enable your phone company to build its fiber optic backbone network, there is an outfit in Naperville, Illinois that has the breadth of experience to make the process a smooth one.

Tellabs Inc. (NASDAQ: TLAB) designs, develops and deploys telecommunications networking products. Its portfolio includes systems for wireline and wireless transport, access networking, broadband data, optical transport, and voice-quality enhancement. Clients include cable operators, corporations, government agencies and such carriers as Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ), AT&T (NYSE: T) and Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S). Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU), Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) and Nortel Networks (NYSE: NT) are major competitors.

The company pleased investors last week, when it reported Q1 EPS of six cents and revenues of $452 million. Analysts, who said the company saw strong demand for its advanced phone switching gear, had been expecting five cents and $452 million. Management also guided Q2 revenues to $500-$520 million, versus Street consensus of $502.5 million. The CEO said the firm was encouraged that its new technologies are "taking root" in service provider networks. TLAB shares popped into a bullish "flag" consolidation pattern on the news. Prices frequently exit flags moving in the same direction they were traveling when they entered them. For TLAB, that break out commenced today.

Brokers recommend the issue with three "strong buys," three "buys," 12 "holds" and five "sells." Analysts see a 42% growth rate, through the next year. The TLAB Price to Sales ratio (2.39), Price to Book ratio (1.60), Price to Cash Flow ratio (15.90) and Price to Free Cash Flow ratio (17.46) compare favorably with industry, sector and S&P 500 averages.

Institutional investors hold about 70% of the outstanding shares. The stock is one of those used to calculate the S&P 500 Index and the Nasdaq 100 Index. Over the past 52 weeks, it has traded between $8.84 and $16.40. A stop-loss of $9.55 looks good here.

Larry Schutts is a contributing editor for Theflyonthewall.com and the Vice-President of Stockwinners.com.

Tellabs: Covering your telecommunications networking bases originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 02 May 2007 16:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Lear Corp (NYSE: LEA) was upgraded to Neutral from Underperform at Credit Suisse following the $2.31B cash bid from Carl Icahn.

• Merrill Lynch upgraded Tellabs Inc (NASDAQ: TLAB) to Buy from Neutral, citing expectations for an improvement in cross-connect demand and margins; the firm expects Tellabs to benefit from AT&T's (NYSE: T) new broadband initiatives, a demand recovery at Cingular, T-Mobile 3G deployment plans and an increase in Sprint/Nextel (NYSE: S) base stations.

• JP Morgan upgraded Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ: NVDA) to Overweight from Neutral based on expectations for gross margin upside to be driven by improved unit costs and market share gains in the notebook segment.

• Raymond James upgraded shares of AirTran Holdings Inc (NYSE: AAI) to Outperform from Market Perform with a $14 target.

• CIBC upgraded Kronos Inc (NASDAQ: KRON) to Sector Outperformer from Sector Perform, with a $46 target, as they find valuation attractive at current levels given their increasing confidence operations are improving.

• State Street Corp (NYSE: STT) was upgraded to Equal Weight from Underweight at Morgan Stanley following the news of the Investors Financial Services Corp (NASDAQ: IFIN) acquisition.

• Triad Hospitals Inc (NYSE: TRI) was upgraded to Neutral from Sell at Bank of America.

• Overstock.com Inc (NASDAQ: OSTK) was upgraded to Neural from Sell at First Albany, as the worst is already reflected in the stock's valuation.

• Matrix USA upgraded Estee Lauder Co Inc (NYSE: EL) to Hold from Sell based on fundamental trends.

Analyst upgrades 2-06-07: Credit Suisse upgrades Lear after Icahn bid originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 06 Feb 2007 11:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Goldman Sachs downgraded Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) to Neutral from Buy; citing weaker sales and expected heavy markdowns.

• Credit Suisse removed shares of Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT) from their Focus List.

• Bear Stearns downgraded the Restaurant Sector to Market Weight from Overweight, citing valuations and softening fundamentals. In addition, Applebee's International Inc. (NASDAQ: APPB) and P.F. Chang's China Bistro Inc. (NASDAQ: PFCB) were both downgraded to Underperform from Peer Perform.

• Following the lower-than-expected Q4 guidance, Morgan Keegan downgraded shares of Tellabs Inc. (NASDAQ: TLAB) to Market Perform from Outperform, as they do not expect a quick earnings recovery.

• Ensco International Inc. (NYSE: ESV) was downgraded to Underweight from Equal Weight at JP Morgan; the firm says there is growth risk to the global jackup market including overcapacity in early 2008.

Analyst downgrades 1-8-07: Wal-Mart cut to Neutral at Goldman originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 08 Jan 2007 11:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.