Analyst Upgrades

• Marriott (MAR) to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo.
• Quest Diagnostics (DGX) and Owens-Illinois (OI) to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.
• FirstMerit (FMER) to outperform from perform at Oppenheimer.
• Safeway (SWY) to hold from sell at Citigroup.
• Babcock & Wilcox (BWC) to buy from neutral, as well as Jacobs Engineering (JEC) and W. R. Berkley (WRB) to neutral from sell, at Goldman.
• Pioneer Natural (PXD) to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• Teekay Tankers (TNK) to buy from underperform at BofA/Merrill.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: BP, DGX, DNDN, MAR, PM, PXD, SWY, TNK, TRV ...

Analyst Calls: BP, DGX, DNDN, MAR, PM, PXD, SWY, TNK, TRV ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Travelers' (TRV) stock, which I first wrote about on April 24, 2009, at a price of $30.50, continued to progress this winter, and I obviously still like the business model at this juncture.

The Traveler should approach $70 by end of 2011, boosted by 2% to 4% premium revenue growth, as the insurance company takes advantage of new business opportunities. Prudent underwriting, a superior balance sheet, and a $1.44 annual dividend add to the positive mix. Hence, the view from here argues TRV is still undervalued.

Continue reading The Travelers Is Pushing $60

The Travelers Is Pushing $60 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The view in August argued that The Travelers (TRV), which I first wrote about on April 24, 2009, at a price of $30.50, was undervalued. That proved to be on the mark, as the stock rose out of a base near $50 to trade above $57 this fall.

However, the good news is that The Travelers pulled back a few bucks in November, creating still another opportunity risk-tolerant investors to establish a position in a quality insurer and earn an outsized gain.

The Travelers should approach $70 by mid-2011, boosted by 2% to 4% premium revenue growth, as the insurance company takes advantage of new business opportunities. Prudent underwriting, a superior balance sheet and a $1.44 annual dividend add to the positive mix.

Continue reading The Travelers Remains Undervalued

The Travelers Remains Undervalued originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Verisk (VRSK) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo.
• Marriott (MAR) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Bernstein.
• Jefferies upgraded Teekay (TK) and Tsakos Energy (TNP) to Buy from Hold.
• Cadence Design (CDNS) was upgraded to sector perform from underperform at RBC Capital.
• BofA/Merrill upgraded NV Energy (NVE) to buy from underperform and Education Realty Trust (EDR) to neutral from underperform.
• Men's Wearhouse (MW) was upgraded to buy from hold at Stifel.
• William Blair upgraded Atheros (ATHR) to outperform from market perform.
• Freeport McMoran (FCX) was upgraded to buy from hold at Argus.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: CTV, CVX, EAT, FCX, ICE, MAR, MW, TRV, WLP ...

Analyst Calls: CTV, CVX, EAT, FCX, ICE, MAR, MW, TRV, WLP ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Oppenheimer upgraded VeriSign (VRSN) to outperform from perform, citing better-than-expected domain names trends and the potential for a sizeable share buyback. The firm has a $33 price target for shares.
• Oppenheimer also upgraded EMC (EMC) to outperform from perform, citing valuation and expectations for strong Q2 results. The firm set a $22 price target for shares.
• Piper Jaffray upgraded Juniper (JNPR) to overweight from neutral, citing valuation and its longer-term outlook. The firm keeps a $31 price target for shares.
• Kilroy Realty (KRC) was upgraded to neutral from underperform at BofA/Merrill.
• Veolia Environment (VE) was upgraded to buy from add at WestLB.
• QEP Resources (QEP) was upgraded to positive from neutral at Susquehanna.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ALL, EMC, FCN, IRBT, JNPR, MRVL, RNOW, TRV, VRSN ...

Analyst Calls: ALL, EMC, FCN, IRBT, JNPR, MRVL, RNOW, TRV, VRSN ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

All in all, there are many advantages to a home business. For example, you have more time to spend with your family, you do not have to deal with aggravating commutes, and there is even the home office tax deduction. If anything, the overall costs should be lower -- making it easier to get traction for your business.

Yet, there are definitely considerable risks, which are often overlooked. But the good news is that smart insurance planning can provide sufficient protection. And the prices are affordable, costing as little as $500 per year.

Continue reading Entrepreneur's Journal: Insuring Your Home Business from Disaster

Entrepreneur's Journal: Insuring Your Home Business from Disaster originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 18 Apr 2010 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Allstate Corp. (ALL), which has been the subject of rumors concerning the termination of agents, is scheduled to release fourth-quarter financial results after the market closes Wednesday, and then to discuss those results in a conference call tomorrow, Thursday, Feb. 11, at 9:00 AM (ET). An audio webcast of the call will be available at the company's website.

During the three months that ended in December, Allstate named a new marketing chief, welcomed a new board member and declared a quarterly dividend. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are looking for earnings for that period to come to $1.01 per share. That compares with 99 cents per share in the previous quarter and 97 cents per share a year ago. Revenue for the fourth quarter is expected to be 23.0% higher than a year ago to $8.1 billion.

Continue reading Allstate Earnings Preview: Looking for a Turnaround

Allstate Earnings Preview: Looking for a Turnaround originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 10 Feb 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In this market and economy it pays (literally) to have a few moderate-risk stocks in your portfolio that also have an chance for a decent upside.

The Travelers Companies (TRV), is one, and that's why I'm reiterating my by buy rating for the company, first recommended on April 24, 2009, at a price of $39.50. If you bought TRV in April, you're up about 34%.

Continue reading The Travelers: Undiscovered gem

The Travelers: Undiscovered gem originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says that as long as we're trapped in a commoditized stock market, use the futures to go bargain-hunting.

What if individual stocks want to go up, but the market wants to go down? Don't laugh. In 1982, when The Kansas City Board of Trade started trading Value Line futures (before there were S&P futures), we used to kick around in securities classes what would happen if eventually stocks became so commoditized that individual companies couldn't be removed from the gravitational pull.

For example, we know today looks like a terrible day, with Europe down horribly and our futures real soggy. But then we look and see that J. Crew (NYSE: JCG) (Cramer's Take), one of the best retailers, is not just saying that the fall season is good; it is saying it is blowout beyond imagination. The big Dow stock 3M (NYSE: MMM) (Cramer's Take) is not just saying that things are getting better; it is showing that business is very strong. The monster insurer and fellow Dow stock Travelers (NYSE: TRV) (Cramer's Take) is boosting the dividend and showing you how a responsible financial can behave.

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: Great stocks at better prices

Cramer on BloggingStocks: Great stocks at better prices originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Last week, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) and JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) reported stellar quarterly results. Lots more third quarter reports from the big banks are due this week.

However, analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters anticipate year-over-year earnings declines from Bank of New York Mellon (NYSE: BK), BB&T Corp. (NYSE: BBT), M&T Bank Corp. (NYSE: MTB), Northern Trust Corp. (NASDAQ: NTRS), PNC Financial Services Group Inc. (NYSE: PNC), State Street Corp. (NYSE: STT), US Bancorp (NYSE: USB), and Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC).

Continue reading The week in preview: High hopes for Apple, Chipotle, Travelers and more

The week in preview: High hopes for Apple, Chipotle, Travelers and more originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading The savvy investors know they're better off under the umbrella

The savvy investors know they're better off under the umbrella originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Cisco, Travelers join the Dow

Cisco, Travelers join the Dow originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is recently up 67 cents to $19.88 in pre-open trading. CSCO will replace General Motors (GM) in the Dow Jones Industrial Averages -- DJIA. CSCO June option implied volatility of 36 is below its 26-week average of 47, according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price movement.

Travelers (NYSE: TRV) is recently trading at $41.87 in pre-open trading, above its close of $40.66. TRV will replace Citigroup (NYSE: C) in the DJIA. TRV June and July option implied volatility of 37 is below its 26-week average of 54, according to Track Data, indicating decreasing price movement.

Option Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com

Options Update: Cisco and Travelers volatility low into addition to DJIA originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 01 Jun 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Wall Street's optimism in last week's preview about the earnings of tech stocks wasn't misplaced, as there were many more positive surprises than negative ones among the stocks we looked at. This week will bring plenty more data for investors in and watchers of the sector to mull over. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T), and Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT), for example, are expected by analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial to post modest earnings gains from a year ago, to $1.11 per share (on $8.1 billion in sales), $0.72 per share (on $31.3 billion in sales), and $0.47 per share (on $14.8 billion in sales) respectively. All three of these companies ended the week closer to their 52-week lows than highs, and analysts on average consider them each a buy.

Here's a look at some of the week's biggest expected earnings gainers and decliners in the sector:

• Baidu.com Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU): $1.25 per share (+44.0%) on revenues of $134.7 million (+103.2%)
• Broadcom Corp. (NASDAQ: BRCM): $0.44 per share (+38.6%) on revenues of $1.3 billion (+33.8%)
• QLogic Corp. (NASDAQ: QLGC): $0.31 per share (+29.0%) on revenues of $170.0 million (+21.2%)
• FLIR Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: FLIR): $0.32 per share (+28.1%) on revenues of $275.2 million (+44.0%)
• Juniper Networks Inc. (NASDAQ: JNPR): $0.30 per share (+26.7%) on revenues of $927.4 million (+26.2%)
• Waters Corp. (NYSE: WAT): $0.75 per share (+17.3%) on revenues of $391.6 million (+11.1%)
• Flextronics International Ltd. (NASDAQ: FLEX): $0.29 per share (+17.2%) on revenues of $8.7 billion (+57.3%)
• EMC Corp. (NYSE: EMC): $0.19 per share (+10.5%) on revenues of $3.7 billion (+12.9%)

Continue reading The week in preview: More hope for techs, doubt about financials

The week in preview: More hope for techs, doubt about financials originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 19 Oct 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Hartford Financial (NYSE: HIG) closed at $62.06 Thursday. HIG October option implied volatility of 52 is above its 26-week average of 40 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price movement.

Travelers (NYSE: TRV), a leading property casualty insurer, closed at $44.61 Thursday. TRV October option implied volatility of 37 is above its 26-week average of 32 according to Track Data, indicating larger price movement.

Genworth Financial (NYSE: GNW) closed at $15.02 Thursday. GNW October option implied volatility of 71 is above its 26-week average of 52 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price movement.

XL Capital (NYSE: XL), provider of global reinsurance coverage, closed at $18.63 Thursday. XL October option implied volatility of 78 is above its 26-week average of 73 according to Track Data, suggesting larger movement.

Option Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com

Option Update: Insurers' volatilities elevated; HIG, TRV, GNW, XL originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 12 Sep 2008 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.