Continue reading Closing Bell: Fighting for 12K and 1300 (EGPT, IRE, WFR, NAVI, SCON, WHR)

Closing Bell: Fighting for 12K and 1300 (EGPT, IRE, WFR, NAVI, SCON, WHR) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 02 Feb 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: An Electoral Market Win Ahead of QE2 (BP, ORCL, ARTG, CGNX, MPEL, WFR, NTRI)

Closing Bell: An Electoral Market Win Ahead of QE2 (BP, ORCL, ARTG, CGNX, MPEL, WFR, NTRI) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 02 Nov 2010 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Time Warner Cable (TWC) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Bernstein.
• Citigroup upgraded MEMC Electronic (WFR) and Skilled Healthcare (SKH) to buy from hold at Citigroup.
• Administaff (ASF) was upgraded to buy from hold at Roth Capital.
• The Buckle (BKE) was upgraded to buy from hold at KeyBanc.
• BofA/Merrill upgraded DreamWorks (DWA) to neutral from underperform.
• Corrections Corp. (CXW) was upgraded to buy from neutral at SunTrust.
• Marvell Technology (MRVL) was upgraded to positive from neutral at Susquehanna.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ARO, BA, BKE, DWA, MRVL, SGEN, TWC, WFR ...

Analyst Calls: ARO, BA, BKE, DWA, MRVL, SGEN, TWC, WFR ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 02 Nov 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Citigroup upgraded Mosaic (MOS) to buy from hold and raised its price target to $78 from $64 citing improving ag fundamentals and the potential for BHP (BHP) to issue a higher bid for Potash (POT), which Citi feels would bode well for Mosaic.
• Cowen upgraded VMware (VMW) to outperform from neutral, citing recent share weakness and the company's significant growth opportunity.
• Citigroup upgraded CareFusion (CFN) with a $29 price target, citing valuation and the potential for margin expansion.
• Pfizer (PFE) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at Cowen.
• Juniper (JNPR) was upgraded to outperform from perform at Oppenheimer.
• Stryker (SYK) was upgraded to buy from gradually accumulate at Soleil.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ALKS, AMLN, BAC, CFN, FWLT, MOS, PFE, VMW, WFR ...

Analyst Calls: ALKS, AMLN, BAC, CFN, FWLT, MOS, PFE, VMW, WFR ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 20 Oct 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Shares of MEMC Electronic Materials (WFR) turned higher right out of the gate Thursday morning, surging roughly 4% with the sound of the opening bell. For the catalyst behind this bullish gap, we need look no further than peripatetic CNBC analyst Jim Cramer.

On Wednesday, the Mad Money host cited MEMC as his top pick within the solar sector. To back up his bullish opinion, Cramer cited three key factors: the recent $380 million sale of subsidiary SunEdison's Italian property, lowball earnings estimates from analysts, and heavy insider buying by company execs in recent months.

Continue reading MEMC Electronic Materials Catches a Cramer Lift

MEMC Electronic Materials Catches a Cramer Lift originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: Easing to the Rescue (CLDX, GYMB, WFR, TLB, WAG, SKS, HOG)

Closing Bell: Easing to the Rescue (CLDX, GYMB, WFR, TLB, WAG, SKS, HOG) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading MEMC CEO Forgoes Bonus; Money Will Go to Retrain Workers

MEMC CEO Forgoes Bonus; Money Will Go to Retrain Workers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sunny skies are here for Ausra, the solar thermal company backed by Kleiner Perkins and Khosla Ventures. The company is looking for a buyer, and it's already talking to three, according to a report by Reuters. Everything is up for grabs, from a majority stake in the company to 100% of it, and the back-and-forth going on is at a "very aggressive level."

The businesses looking to pick up Ausra are said to be global power generation conglomerates but haven't been named yet. So, the clean energy company would be a way for one of them to diversify.

Continue reading Three buyers vying for solar thermal company Ausra

Three buyers vying for solar thermal company Ausra originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Collins Stewart upgraded General Dynamics (NYSE: GD) to Buy from Hold as it finds the valuation compelling at current levels and sees potential upside from a better economy and better-than-expected defense budgets.
• SunTrust views the sell-off in shares of Cabot Oil (NYSE: COG) as a buying opportunity and expects the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection order to be resolved quickly. The firm upgraded Cabot to Buy from Neutral.
• Barclays upgraded Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) to Overweight from Equal Weight based on expectations for improved carrier demand, continued U.S. momentum, and an improved Europe.
• Applied Materials (NASDAQ: AMAT) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Citigroup.
• Stericycle (NASDAQ: SRCL) was upgraded to Gradually Accumulate from Hold at Soleil.
• Grupo Televisa (NYSE: TV) was upgraded to Neutral from Sell at Goldman.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AMAT, CSCO, GD, HOT, LIZ, RBS ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AMAT, CSCO, GD, HOT, LIZ, RBS ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 28 Sep 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Citigroup upgraded MEMC Electronic (NYSE: WFR) to Buy from Hold after channel checks indicated solar poly price pressures are easing. The firm added MEMC to its Top Picks Live list and raised its price target on shares to $24 from $15.
  
• FBR Capital upgraded PHH Corp (NYSE: PHH) to Outperform from Market Perform to reflect an improvement in mortgage banking fundamentals and recent management changes at the company. The firm raised its target on shares to $23 from $13.
  
• Deutsche Bank upgraded PerkinElmer (NYSE: PKI) to Hold from Sell on valuation, seeing a balanced risk/reward at current levels. The firm raised its target on shares to $19 from $14.
• Pearson plc (NYSE: PSO) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse.
  
• Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) was upgraded to Conviction Buy from Neutral at Goldman.
  
• Nymagic (NYSE: NYM) was upgraded to Market Perform from Underperform at Keefe Bruyette.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: DELL, IBM, IPCR, NETL ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: DELL, IBM, IPCR, NETL ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Today was an unusually active day for extremely volume increases in several stocks which traded on news and rumors.

Shares in Sequenom (NASDAQ: SQNM) jumped over 10% on takevover rumors.

Rite Aide (NYSE: RAD) moved higher by 5% on larger than normal volume as it beat earnings estimates and Monsanto (NYSE: MON) traded up on strong numbers and took a number of agriculture stocks with it. Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) also benefited from earnings above Wall Street forecasts.

Palm (NASDAQ: PALM) traded higher as RBC upped its price target to $18 from $14, and MEMC (NYSE: WFR) fell on a downgrade from JPMorgan.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at VSInvestor.com.

Today's big stock price moves on big volume originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Citigroup upgraded Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) to Buy from Hold on expectations the company's top-line growth rate could be more sustainable than expected and its operating margins could recover given due to less retail discounting. The firm raised its price target on shares to $97 from $65.
  
• UBS upgraded King Pharmaceuticals (NYSE: KG) to Buy from Sell based on expectations that Sandoz will settle patent litigation regarding Skelaxin after last weeks settlement of Clarinex with Schering-Plough (SGP).
  
• Jefferies upgraded Reliance Steel (NYSE: RS) to Buy from Hold as it believes steel prices and demand are close to near-term bottoms. The firm raised its target on the stock to $44 from $25.
• Palm (NASDAQ: PALM) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Banc of America/Merrill.
  
• Nestle (OTC: NSRGY) was lifted to Neutral from Underweight at JP Morgan.
• Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) was upgraded at Wachovia to Outperform from Market Perform.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AMZN, RS, JNJ, NFLX ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AMZN, RS, JNJ, NFLX ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Jefferies upgraded Check Point Software (NASDAQ: CHKP) to Buy from Hold as they believe the recently acquired Nokia security appliance business should drive 2009 revenue and EPS meaningfully higher. The firm raised their target price to $27 from $20.
  
• Goldman upgraded Motorola (NYSE: MOT) to Buy from Neutral and added shares to its Conviction Buy List. The firm expects shares to outperform even if phones don't given the overly negative value for the business.
  
• Research in Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) was upgraded to Outperform from Sector Perform at RBC Capital. The firm cites improving margin visibility and execution, and lowered expectations for the upgrade.
• Ares Capital (NASDAQ: ARCC) was upgraded to Neutral from Underweight at JP Morgan.
  
• Canadian Pacific (NYSE: CP) was raised at Canaccord to Buy from Hold.
  
• Lloyds TSB (NYSE: LYG) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at UBS.

• JP Morgan downgraded Venoco (NYSE: VQ) to Underweight from Overweight based on valuation and debt concerns.
  
• UBS downgraded MEMC Electronic (NYSE: WFR) to Neutral from Buy, added shares to the Short-Term Sell List and lowered their target to $14.50 from $20. The firm believes 2009 wafer sales will be much worse than expected.
  
• Deutsche Bank downgraded SINA (NASDAQ: SINA) to Hold from Buy to reflect integration risks from the recent acquisition of Focus Media's digital OOH assets as they see little room for near-term upside.
• Palm (NASDAQ: PALM) was lowered to Neutral from Overweight at JP Morgan.
  
• Polo Ralph Lauren (NYSE: RL) was cut to Sell from Neutral at Goldman.
  
• Telus (NYSE: TU) was downgraded at Banc of America/Merrill to Underperform from Neutral.

• Societe Generale believes HSBC (NYSE: HBC) will need to cut its dividend and raise additional capital in order to strengthen its capital base. Shares were initiated with a Sell rating.
  
• Citigroup initiated United Technologies (NYSE: UTX) with a Hold rating and $55 target. The firm sees downside risk to the company's guidance and believes consensus estimates could be too high.
  
• B. Riley assumed Matrixx Initiatives (NASDAQ: MTXX) with a Buy rating and $22 target. The firm finds shares attractively valued and sees limited downside risk from current levels.
• ASML Holding (NASDAQ: ASML) was initiated at Deutsche Bank with a Hold rating.

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: CHKP, MOT, RIMM, PALM, RL, HBC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 20 Jan 2009 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

And maybe the group move (lower) was just one massive liquidation trade and the biggest of the machines knew where the weakest hands were the most susceptible to letting shares go to meet redemptions.

I suspected this was the case in solar with companies like First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR), SunPower (NASDAQ: SPWRA), LDK SolarLDK), MEMC Electronics (NYSE: WFR) and Suntech Power (NYSE: STP). The companies have no funding issues, big industrial projects, and are sold through for years.

I'm actually inclined to buy the strength as we have oil down, and a new month of us. We are also in an environment where little hard analysis from the analyst community has been fostered. Simply put, speculation of a macro condition (credit crunch), has been liberally applied to micro condition sets for an industry in an early growth phase. So basically a coin has been tossed in the air and the analyst community has mostly called a negative outcome. A few bullish holdouts exist but by and large this looks like a group think nightmare in every direction so far.

I still like most of the big guns and a couple smaller shops but I've always been cautious of names in need of funding and that is more critical now. Also, an Obama victory trade on the group might fade very hard just as the bailout passage was.

Solar stocks show strength originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Wachovia upgraded shares of Exelon (NYSE: EXC) to Outperform from Market Perform to reflect the company's attractive nuclear fleets and strong operational track record.
  
• Jesup & Lamont upgraded Ormat Technologies Inc. (NYSE: ORA) to Buy from Hold on valuation and increasing visibility on near-term Products revenue.
  
• RBC Capital upgraded Memc Electronic (NYSE: WFR) to Outperform from Sector Perform on expectations of improved demand growth following the likely eight-year extension of the US solar tax credit program.
• AmBev (NYSE: ABV) was raised to Outperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse.
  
• AmerisourceBergen (NYSE: ABC) was upgraded at Merrill Lynch to Buy from Neutral.
  
• Piper upgraded Anadys Pharma (NASDAQ: ANDS) to Neutral from Sell.

Analyst downgrades:

Continue reading Analyst calls: MER, BAC, EXC, ABV, PPL, BBT . . .

Analyst calls: MER, BAC, EXC, ABV, PPL, BBT . . . originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 24 Sep 2008 11:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

• Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) earnings prospects may have encouraged the machinist union to strike.
• Ciena Corp. (NASDAQ: CIEN) Q3 results and weak guidance led shares to a new 52-week low.
• Corning Inc. (NYSE: GLW) lowered its Q3 earnings guidance below previous and analysts' forecasts.
• Dollar Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: DLLR) beat Q4 estimates and posted record 2008 results.
• Ericsson Telephone Co. (NASDAQ: ERIC) was downgraded because it could miss Q3 earnings expectations.
• Esterline Technologies (NYSE: ESL) topped Q3 expectations due to robust aerospace and defense markets.
• Joy Global Inc. (NASDAQ: JOYG) posted strong Q3 results due to a sharp increase in orders.
• Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE: KFT) backed away somewhat from its previous 2008 earnings guidance.
• Legg Mason Inc. (NYSE: LM) earnings prospects for the next several quarters led to an analyst downgrade.
• MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. (NYSE: WFR) mid quarter update warned of declining demand for chips.
• Navistar International Corp. (NYSE: NAV) was upgraded following a strong Q3 report.
• New York Times Co. (NYSE: NYT) ongoing losses haven't diminished Rupert Murdoch's interest in it.
• Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) warned that it would miss earnings estimates due in part to weak sales.
• Shanda Interactive Entertainment Ltd. (NASDAQ: SNDA) better-than-expected Q2 led to an analyst upgrade.
• Staples Inc. (NASDAQ: SPLS) Q2 earnings slipped while revenues rose, beating expectations.
• Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO) Q3 results soared but cut its Q4 guidance.
• Tenet Healthcare Corp. (NYSE: THC) was upgraded on its prospects for beating expectations.
• Terex Corp. (NYSE: TEX) warned that earnings for Q3 and Q4 would be lower than estimates.
• Tiffany & Co. (NYSE: TIF) posted better-than-expected Q2 results and offered full-year guidance.
• Toll Brothers Inc. (NYSE: TOL) reported its fourth straight quarterly loss, but it was smaller than expected.

Also, Jim Cramer discusses a decline in earnings resulting from a collapse of oil and oil services.

Upcoming quarterly reports include Korn/Ferry (NYSE: KFY), Pep Boys (NYSE: PBY), Campbell Soup (NYSE: CPB), Krispy Kreme (NYSE: KKD), and Lululemon Athletica (NASDAQ: LULU).

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage.

Earnings highlights: Toll Bros., Take-Two, Tiffany, Staples, Kraft, Corning and others originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 06 Sep 2008 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

After the closing bell last night, silicon-wafer producer MEMC Electronic Materials (NYSE: WFR) offered a mid-quarter update that's sent the shares reeling into negative territory this morning. The report started auspiciously enough, as CEO Nabeel Gareeb noted that current production rates "could allow us to achieve results in the upper half of our targeted financial range" of $560 million to $620 million in revenue.

His comment seemed to indicate that MEMC might exceed analysts' expected revenue of $596.7 million, as reported by Thomson Financial. But Gareeb then tempered his optimism by adding, "However, there is increased softness in demand from semiconductor applications customers, primarily due to their inventory reduction initiatives. These elements warrant a continued degree of caution in our outlook, given the amount of time left in the quarter."

Additionally, MEMC warned that it expects operating expenses of approximately $43 million for the third quarter, up from its previous projection of $41 million. The increase is largely attributable to one-time, non-cash severance-related expenses.

Continue reading MEMC Electronic Materials sinks after warning of weak chip demand

MEMC Electronic Materials sinks after warning of weak chip demand originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Shaw Wu of American Technology Research said his firm's checks with suppliers indicate some weakness in HP's (NYSE: HPQ) inkjet sales and consumer PCs in the U.S, according to the AP.

UBS downgraded Darden Restaurants (NYSE: DRI) to Neutral from Buy, according to Briefing.com. The news service also writes that Calyon initiated MEMC Electonic (NYSE: WFR) as a "Buy".

Goldman Sachs upgraded Mastercard (NYSE: MA) from "Hold" to "Buy", according to StreetInsider.com.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

Early analyst calls (MA) (HPQ) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 19 Aug 2008 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Citigroup upgraded shares of Memc Electronic (NYSE:WFR) to Buy from Hold on valuation as they believe the bad news is priced in following the company's quarter. The firm raised Memc's target to $65 from $64. JP Morgan upgraded shares to Overweight from Neutral on valuation.
  
• Morgan Stanley upgraded Citigroup (NYSE:C) to Equal Weight from Underweight based on asset sales, improved top-line, and dividend.
  
• Credit Suisse upgraded Sanmina (NASDAQ:SANM) to Outperform from Neutral citing valuation and margin traction. The firm raised Sanmina's target to $2.50 from $1.60. Cowen upgraded Sanmina to Outperform from Neutral following the Q3 report and guidance.

• Pharm Product (NASDAQ:PPDI) was upgraded at Baird to Outperform from Neutral.
  
• Sunoco Logistics (NYSE:SXL) was raised to Outperform from Market Perform at Wachovia.
  
• JP Morgan lifted Air Products (NYSE:APD) to Overweight from Neutral.

Analyst upgrades: WFR, C and SANM originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The current BusinessWeek looks at stocks such as First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR), SolarWorld and Evergreen Solar (NASDAQ: ESLR), which have been facing increased volatility based on contract deal news or the lack thereof.

A major impact came in May, with speculation that Germany would lower subsidies given to companies and individuals who install alternative energy equipment. But the cut was not as deep as expected and stocks rebounded nicely.

Continue reading BusinessWeek looks at solar stocks

BusinessWeek looks at solar stocks originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 24 Jun 2008 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.