Analyst Upgrades

• Polo Ralph Lauren (RL) to neutral from underperform at BofA/Merrill.
• Sigma-Aldrich (SIAL) to outperform from market perform at Leerink.
• Petrobras (PBR) to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• Silvercorp Metals (SVM) to buy from neutral at UBS.
• PROS (PRO) to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• Power Integrations (POWI) and Monolithic Power (MPWR) to buy from neutral at Roth Capital.
• Diodes (DIOD) to outperform from neutral at RW Baird.
• Whole Foods (WFMI) to hold from sell at Hapoalim.
• Sinclair Broadcast (SBGI) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Sappi (SPP) to outperform from neutral at Macquarie.
• Alpha Natural (ANR) to buy from hold at BB&T.
• Watts Water (WTS) to buy from hold at Brean Murray.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ANR, CSCO, HUM, ITT, NYX, PBR, RL, WFMI, WMT, YHOO ...

Analyst Calls: ANR, CSCO, HUM, ITT, NYX, PBR, RL, WFMI, WMT, YHOO ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 10 Feb 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Micron (MU) to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Baker Hughes (BHI) to outperform from market perform at BMO Capital.
• PDL BioPharma (PDLI) to outperform from sector perform at RBC Capital.
• Fluor (FLR) and Rush Enterprises (RUSHA) to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Camden Property (CPT) to outperform from neutral at Macquarie.
• Pinnacle Financial (PNFP) to buy from hold at Wunderlich.
• Linear Technology (LLTC) to neutral from reduce at Nomura.
• Hologic (HOLX) and Illumina (ILMN) to buy from hold at Citigroup.
• F5 Networks (FFIV) to buy from neutral at Gleacher.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ALTR, BHI, CL, CLX, FFIV, GS, HCBK, LLTC, PG, STT, TYC ...

Analyst Calls: ALTR, BHI, CL, CLX, FFIV, GS, HCBK, LLTC, PG, STT, TYC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Dynegy (DYN) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Pritchard.
• Itron (ITRI) was upgraded to neutral from underperform at Macquarie.
• Goldman upgraded Ameren (AEE) to sell from conviction sell.
• Signet Jewelers (SIG) was upgraded to buy from hold at Societe Generale.
• JPMorgan upgraded Synopsys (SNPS) to overweight from neutral.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AGU, BODY, CPB, DYN, HRL, ITRI, POT, ROVI, SNDA, SWS ...

Analyst Calls: AGU, BODY, CPB, DYN, HRL, ITRI, POT, ROVI, SNDA, SWS ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 24 Nov 2010 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• JPMorgan upgraded Deere (DE) to overweight from neutral and raised its target on shares to $65 from $52. JPMorgan believes the company's fundamentals are improving and sees signs of a recovery in forestry, turf and earth-moving equipment.
• Piper Jaffray upgraded Valmont (VMI) to neutral from underweight on valuation following the company's Q4 results. The firm lowered its target price on shares to $70 from $74.
• Soleil upgraded Group 1 Automotive (GPI) to buy from hold on valuation with a $36 price target. The firm believes negative news flow for Toyota has created an opportunity to accumulate shares.
• Bernstein upgraded Deutsche Telekom (DT) to outperform from market perform.
• Nucor (NUE) was upgraded to neutral from underperform at BofA/Merrill.
• American Eagle (AEO) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo.

Continue reading Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades and Initiations: CTXS, DE, GPI, NTAP, VMI, XNPT ...

Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades and Initiations: CTXS, DE, GPI, NTAP, VMI, XNPT ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 18 Feb 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• ThinkEquity upgraded Intel (INTC) to buy from hold and has a $25 target on the stock. The firm believes guidance will prove conservative and strong execution, new product cycle, Win7 cycle and corporate PC-Server refresh will drive shares higher.
• Wells Fargo upgraded Holly Energy (HEP) to outperform from market perform after increasing its valuation ranges for small cap pipeline MLPs. The firm raised its valuation range for Holly to $43 to $45.
• SunTrust upgraded Watsco (WSO) to buy from neutral as it believes the carrier joint venture will serve as a long-term catalyst. The firm has a $67 price target on the stock. William Blair upgraded Watsco to outperform from market perform ahead of the company's Q4 results to reflect valuation and improving economic conditions.
• Staples (SPLS) and Office Max (OMX) were upgraded to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Kellogg (K) was raised to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Advanced Micro (AMD) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at FBR Capital.

Continue reading Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades and Initiations: AMD, HEP, INTC, IRE, K, SPLS, TOL, WSO ...

Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades and Initiations: AMD, HEP, INTC, IRE, K, SPLS, TOL, WSO ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 15 Jan 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Oppenheimer upgraded Genoptix (NASDAQ: GXDX) to Outperform from Perform and raised its target to $44 from $33 based on analysis of oncology testing reimbursement that indicates average revenue per case is within industry norms.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded Legg Mason (NYSE: LM) to Hold from Sell citing reports that an activist investor, Nelson Peltz, has increased its stake in the company. The firm said fundamentals remain weak but the news will likely push shares higher.
• Suntrust upgraded VCA Antech (NASDAQ: WOOF) to Buy from Neutral citing reduced headwinds and favorable risk/reward. The firm has a $30 target on shares.
• SLM Corp. (NYSE: SLM) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at JPMorgan.
• Diamond Offshore (NYSE: DO) and FMC Technologies (NYSE: FMC) were upgraded to Neutral from Sell at Goldman.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AA, GLW, HAL, NKE, SLM ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AA, GLW, HAL, NKE, SLM ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Janney Montgomery upgraded City Holding Company (NASDAQ: CHCO) to Buy from Neutral due to valuation and a belief the banking franchise is strong. The firm has a $33 price target on the stock.
  
• JMP Securities upgraded Acadia (NASDAQ: ACAD) to Outperform from Market Perform following the announcement that it has partnered with Biovail to develop and commercialize Pimavanserin. The firm has a $7 price target on the stock.
  
• RBC Capital upgraded Methanex (NASDAQ: MEOH) to Outperform from Sector Perform and raised its price target to $18 from $11 based on its improving free cash flow outlook.
• MGM Mirage (NYSE: MGM) was raised to Buy from Underperform at Banc of America/Merrill.
• Research in Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) was lifted to Neutral from Underweight at JP Morgan.
• Con-Way (NYSE: CNW) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Stephens.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: RIMM, MGM, ANF ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: RIMM, MGM, ANF ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 05 May 2009 10:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Goldman upgraded Gerdau AmeriSteel (NYSE: GNA) to Buy from Neutral and has a $5.50 target on shares. Shares were upgraded due to the potential impact from infrastructure spending. Note that Goldman downgraded Steel Dynamics (NYSE: STLD) and Olympic Steel (NYSE: ZEUS) to Neutral from Buy.
  
• Banc of America/Merrill upgraded Coca-Cola Enterprises (NYSE: CCE) to Buy from Neutral and raised the price target to $18 from $15. The firm the strong Q1 report gives them greater confidence in shares.
  
• Roth Capital upgraded Halozyme (NASDAQ: HALO) to Buy from Hold due to increased clarity into Roche programs, the discontinuation of the chemophase program, and progress on insulin delivery.
• American Movil (NYSE: AMX) was raised to Overweight from Neutral at JP Morgan and to Hold from Sell at Citigroup.
  
• Barclays (NYSE: BCS) and Lloyds TSB Group (NYSE: LYG) were upgraded at HSBC to Overweight from Neutral.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: GNA, CCE, BCS, SFD, TRI ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: GNA, CCE, BCS, SFD, TRI ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 29 Apr 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Standard Pacific(NYSE:SPF) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at UBS on valuation. The firm lowered its target to $3 from $3.25.

• UBS downgraded FPL Group (NYSE:FPL) to Neutral from Buy on valuation and raised its target to $50 from $48.
  
• Citigroup downgraded Charter Comm (NASDAQ:CHTR) to Sell from Buy to reflect Charter's increasing probability of financial distress. The firm lowered its target to 5c from $1.
  
• B. Riley downgraded UCBH Holdings (NASDAQ:UCBH) to Neutral from Buy on valuation.
• Dow Chemical NYSE:DOW) was cut to Equal Weight from Overweight at Barclays.
  
• Honeywell (NYSE:HON) was lowered to Hold from Buy at Argus.
  
• Brean Murray downgraded California Water Service (NYSE:CWT) to Hold from Buy.

• Standpoint Research believes Jacobs Engineering's (NYSE:JEC) relationship-based business model differentiates it from peers. The firm initiated shares with a Buy rating and has a 3-5 year price target of $70-$80.
• Pali thinks American Eagle's (NYSE:AEO) spring product line is improved and that shares already price in weak 2009 results. Shares were assumed with a Buy rating and $13 target.
  
• B. Riley started Watsco (NYSE:WSO) with a Neutral rating and $40 target and believes shares are close to fair valuation.

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: SPF, HON, DOW, AEO originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 29 Dec 2008 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• JP Morgan lowered its 2009 North American light vehicle production estimate by 13% to 11.2M and Europe by 10% to 19M. The firm upgraded Borg-Warner (NYSE: BWA) to Overweight from Neutral citing balance sheet and revenue growth.
  
• Jefferies upgraded shares of Kroger (NYSE: KR) to Buy from Hold and raised its target to $32 from $28 as they expect the company's value image to benefit in the current environment.
  
• Leerink upgraded AMAG Pharma (NASDAQ: AMAG) to Outperform from Market Perform on valuation as they believe current data is sufficient for some form of first cycle approval of Ferumoxytol.
• Coca-Cola Enterprises (NYSE: CCE) was upgraded to Neutral from Underperform at Merrill Lynch.
  
• Watsco (NYSE: WSO) was raised to Perform from Underperform at Oppenheimer.
  
• UBS upgraded Invitrogen (NASDAQ: IVGN) to Buy from Neutral.

• Jefferies downgraded shares of Whole Foods (NASDAQ: WFMI) to Underperform from Buy and lowered its target to $9.50 from $23 on the worsening macro environment, which they believe is "overwhelming" the company's ability to drive even flat comps in Q4 and FY09.
  
• Deutsche Bank cut Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN) to Hold from Buy and lowered its target to $19 from $28 following the company's worse-than-expected outlook, as they expect shares to be range bound.
  
• Banc of America downgraded the Dry Bulk Shipping sector to Equal Weight from Overweight to reflect the "depressed" charter rate environment, tighter credit markets and the weakening macroeconomic outlook. The firm downgraded Britannia Bulk (NYSE: DWT), Navios Maritime (NYSE: NM) and TBS International (NASDAQ: TBSI) to Neutral from Buy.
• Eaton (NYSE: ETN) was lowered to Underperform from Neutral at Merrill Lynch.
  
• AXA (NYSE: AXA) was downgraded at JP Morgan to Neutral from Overweight.
  
• Aracrus (NYSE: ARA) was downgraded to Underweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: KR, CCE, WFMI, TWC, ANN ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: KR, CCE, WFMI, TWC, ANN ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 21 Oct 2008 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Jefferies upgraded Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) to Buy from Hold to reflect the company's "impressive" improvements in monetization in Q1, no signs of weakness from the economic downturn and upside potential from display, video and mobile.
  
• Lehman upgraded Ross Stores (NASDAQ: ROST) to Overweight from Equal Weight and believes the company's 2008 guidance of 8-9% sales growth and up to 20% bps in margin expansion will prove conservative.
  
• Morgan Stanley upped Novartis (NYSE: NVS) to Overweight from Underweight on valuation and expectations for positive news flow from the company's vaccine division.

• JP Morgan upgraded Bladex to Neutral from Underweight.
• William Blair raised Watsco (NYSE: WSO) to Outperform from Market Perform.
  
• SunTrust (NYSE: STI) was upgraded at Baird to Neutral from Underperform.

Analyst upgrades: GOOG, ROST and NVS originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 18 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Patterson (NASDAQ:PDCO) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Baird, as the firm's checks indicate industry fundamentals have softened and it sees greater near-term risk for dental consumables than dental equipment.
  
• Virgin Media (NASDAQ:VMED) was cut to Hold from Buy at Jefferies as they believe the company's results could be under pressure given the continued competitive activity and potential weakening of the UK economy.
  
• Piper downgraded shares of MannKind (NASDAQ:MNKD) to Neutral from Buy and lowered their target to $1.50 after Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) discontinued inhaled insulin Exubera due to an increase in lung cancer cases.

• Lehman cut Cheniere Energy (LNG) to Equal Weight from Overweight.
  
• Pantry (PTRY) was cut to Market Perform from Outperform at Friedman Billings.
  
• JP Morgan lowered Watsco (WSO) to Neutral from Overweight.

Analyst downgrades: PDCO, VMED and MNKD originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Credit Suisse downgraded the Telecom Services sector to Market Weight from Overweight as they believe trends could weaken in 2008 given increasing wireless competition and the difficult economic environment. The broker downgraded Verizon (NYSE: VZ) and AT&T Corp. (NYSE: T) to Neutral from Outperform in conjunction with the sector downgrade.
  
• Oppenheimer downgraded Watsco (NYSE: WSO) to Perform from Outperform citing lack of near-term catalysts, further weakening in its core business, and weak 2008 earnings guidance.
  
• RBC Capital lowered Key Corp. (NYSE: KEY) to Underperform from Sector Perform citing further credit deterioration following the company's outlook.

• Thomas Weisel lowered Coach (NYSE: COH) to to Market Weight from Overweight.
  
• Citigroup downgraded PPG Industries (NYSE: PPG) to Hold from Buy.
  
• BNP Paribas downgraded the China Telecom sector to Neutral from Overweight.
  

Analyst downgrades: Telecom Services, Watsco, Key Corp. originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 20 Feb 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Goldman cut shares of Ruth's Chris Steak House (NASDAQ: RUTH) to Sell from Neutral following the company's preliminary Q2 sales, as they expect relative underperformance over the near-term. Goldman believes macro headwinds could weigh on Ruth's client base and keep traffic negative for the rest of the year.

• Hilton Hotels (NYSE: HLT) was downgraded by a number of firms after the Blackstone Group (BX) takeout offer: Jefferies and Citigroup cut shares to Hold from Buy, Calyon downgraded shares to Neutral from Buy, Raymond James downgraded shares to Market Perform from Strong Buy, Suquehanna cut shares to Neutral from Positive and Bear Stearns downgraded Hilton Hotels to Peer Perform from Outperform.

• B. Riley downgraded shares of Champps Entertainment (NASDAQ: CMPP) to Neutral from Buy to reflect the buyout offer from F&H Acquisition Corp...

• B. Riley downgraded shares of ACR Group (AMEX: BRR) to reflect the company's merger agreement with Watsco Inc (WSO).

• Jefferies cut Dobson Communications Corp (NASDAQ: DCEL) to Hold from Buy.

• Piper Jaffrey downgraded Selective Insurance (NASDAQ: SIGI) to Market Perform from Outperform.

• Kaufman downgraded Parametric Technology (NASDAQ: PMTC) to Hold from Buy.

Analyst downgrades 7-06-07: DCEL, HLT and RUTH originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 06 Jul 2007 09:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Goldman downgraded shares of Continental Airlines, Inc (NYSE: CAL) to Neutral from Buy on valuation, higher oil prices and a weak domestic market.

• Goldman also downgraded Molson Coors Brewing Co (NYSE: TAP) to Neutral from Buy based on the increase in analyst estimates, valuation and the potential for margin pressure in the summer.

• BB&T cut Watsco, Inc (NYSE: WSO) to Hold from Buy based on valuation and catalysts that are already reflected in the share price.

• Roth Capital downgraded shares of K-V Pharmaceutical Co (NYSE: KV.A) to Hold from Buy, telling clients they have learned that Par Pharmaceuticals Cos (PRX) has launched generics of 50, 100 and 200mg Toprol-XL. The firm expects a material impact to KV's 100 and 200mg strength generics.

• Stifel expects investor enthusiasm regarding Progressive's Corp (NYSE: PGR) recapitalization plan to fade as underwriting fundamentals deteriorate and cut shares to Sell from Hold.

• Color Kinetics (NASDAQ: CLRK) was downgraded to Hold from Sell at Needham on valuation...

• Citigroup cut The Phoenix Co's (NYSE: PNX) to Hold from Buy.

• KeyBank downgraded Lubrizol Corp (NYSE: LZ) to Hold from Buy.

• Goldcorp Inc (NYSE: GG) and Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc (NYSE: FCX) were downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at BMO Capital.

• Susquehanna downgraded Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc (NYSE: BBW) to Neutral from Positive.

Analyst downgrades 6-15-07: BBW, CAL, FCX, PGR and TAP originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 15 Jun 2007 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• CIBC considers shares of Burger King Holdings (NYSE: BKC) to still be attractive and has above-consensus estimates, starting shares with an Sector Outperformer rating. The firm believes increased operating hours and breakfast value meals will drive results, while cost savings should help margins.

• JMP Securities believes there is plenty of room for growth at Supertel Hospitality (NASDAQ: SPPR) via acquisitions, leading to strong FFO upside, initiating shares with an Outperform rating and $8 target.

• ThinkEquity sees additional upside for Tarceva and started OSI Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: OSIP) with a Buy rating and $50 target.

• AG Edwards believes Brown-Forman (NYSE: BF.B) is well-positioned to benefit from new trends in spirits and wine, starting shares with a Buy rating and $74 target.

• RBC Capital is positive on NGAS Resources' (NASDAQ: NGAS) growth potential and high quality assets, starting shares with an Outperform rating and $11 target...

• CIT Group (NYSE: CIT) was started with a Market Perform rating at Keefe Bruyette.

• Oppenheimer started shares of Watsco, Inc (NYSE: WSO) with a Buy rating.

• ThinkEquity started Coley Pharmaceutical Group, Inc (NASDAQ: COLY) with an Accumulate rating and $10 target.

• Goldman initiated shares of Northwest Airlines Corp (OTC: NWACQ) with a Neutral rating and $26 target.

• Duetsche Bank initiated PPL Corp (NYSE: PPL) with a Buy rating and $51 target.

• Citigroup initiated Comverge, Inc (NASDAQ: COMV) with a Hold rating and $26 target.

Analyst initiations 5-24-07: BKC, NGAS, NWACQ and OSIP originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 24 May 2007 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.