Analyst Upgrades

• Piper Jaffray upgraded Duoyuan Global Water (DGW) to neutral from underweight, citing the potential for positive fundamental news flow through the end of the year, and upped its price target to $16 from $9.
• Jefferies upgraded Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) to buy from underperform, expecting a benefit from a significant ramp in EVDO software sales as mobile data growth accelerates.
• Myriad Genetics (MYGN) was upgraded at RBC Capital to outperform from sector perform with a $23 price target based on valuation and potential to be acquired.
• Goldman upgraded Mohawk (MHK) to neutral from sell with a $53 price target.
• Smithfield Foods (SFD) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at BMO capital with a $21 target.
• Priceline.com (PCLN) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Morgan Keegan.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ALU, BIG, COST, DGW, DOW, FO, GE, HON, MGM, MYGN, MON ...

Analyst Calls: ALU, BIG, COST, DGW, DOW, FO, GE, HON, MGM, MYGN, MON ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 13 Oct 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• KeyBanc upgraded Las Vegas Sands (LVS) to hold from underweight based on Singapore performance and a potential revaluation of the yuan.
• ThinkEquity upgraded Seattle Genetics (SGEN) to buy from hold based on the positive SGN-35 HL data. The firm raised its price target to $16 from $12.
• Merriman upgraded Applied Signal (APSG) to buy from neutral with a $28 to $31 valuation range, citing greater confidence in earnings estimates and the company's recent contract wins.
• Siliconware Precision (SPIL) was upgraded to neutral from underperform at Macquarie.
• Pulte Group (PHM) was upgraded to neutral from sell at Goldman.
• Greenbrier (GBX) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Morgan Keegan.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AAI, APSG, D, GBX, HSP, LVS, SGEN, SI, SON, TGT, TXT ...

Analyst Calls: AAI, APSG, D, GBX, HSP, LVS, SGEN, SI, SON, TGT, TXT ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 28 Sep 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Not all companies in these love-struck industries are good buys. Here are 10 stocks to break up with this Valentine's Day.

• 1-800-Flowers (FLWS): A good gift, but a poorly run company that has posted a loss for three of the past four quarters.
• Hershey (HSY): Missing out on the Cadbury merger was not so sweet for Hershey.
• Cardiac Sciences (CSCX): It's hard to have a heart for a company that fails seven out of my eight fundamental screens.

Continue reading Ten Valentine's Day Stocks to Hate

Ten Valentine's Day Stocks to Hate originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 14 Feb 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

For years, it's been evident that smaller airlines have had an operating advantage, particularly when they use less expensive airports. They've been able to post better numbers as a result, and in the current travel slump, they've outperformed the larger carriers. Well, they've also picked up a considerable amount of market share.

According to a report by USA Today, low cost carriers now have 30% of the market in the United States. Price-sensitive consumers are turning to cheaper alternatives, even if it means (for fliers with elite status) giving up the perks they've earned through years of customer loyalty.

Continue reading Low cost carriers own 30% of domestic airline biz, growing fast

Low cost carriers own 30% of domestic airline biz, growing fast originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

• AirTran Holdings Inc. (NYSE: AAI) reported its third consecutive quarterly profit and will increase capacity.
• Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) shares soared after it reported very strong Q3 numbers.
• Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) reported stellar Q4 results, driven by the popularity of Macs and iPhones.
• BlackRock Inc. (NYSE: BLK) Q3 earnings soared, due in part to a tax benefit, and assets managed grew.
• Broadcom Corp. (NASDAQ: BRCM) revenue surged sequentially but note the would be flat going forward.
• Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) beat Q3 earnings expectations and shares rose though revenue slumped.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Amazon, Apple, Caterpillar, Hershey, McDonald's, UPS ...

Earnings highlights: Amazon, Apple, Caterpillar, Hershey, McDonald's, UPS ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 24 Oct 2009 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: Mixing the indexes (AAI, COP, RPRX, VG, SIRI)

Closing Bell: Mixing the indexes (AAI, COP, RPRX, VG, SIRI) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The earnings crunch begins in earnest this week, and analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are expecting a parade of companies reporting profit declines in the just completed quarter. That includes more financials, such as American Express Co. (NYSE: AXP), Bank of New York Mellon Corp. (NYSE: BK), M&T Bank Corp. (NYSE: MTB), Northern Trust Corp. (NASDAQ: NTRS), State Street Corp. (NYSE: STT), US Bancorp (NYSE: USB), and Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC). On the other hand, Capital One Financial Corp. (NYSE: COF), E*Trade Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: ETFC), Regions Financial Corp. (NYSE: RF), and Zions Bancorp. (NASDAQ: ZION) are expected to post losses.

This week's anticipated earnings decliners also include tech companies such as Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), Lexmark International Inc. (NYSE: LXK), Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT), Qualcomm Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOM), Texas Instruments Inc. (NYSE: TXN), and Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO). Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NYSE: AMD) is expected to post a loss.

Continue reading The week in preview: Earnings crunch expected to reveal lots of lower profits

The week in preview: Earnings crunch expected to reveal lots of lower profits originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 19 Jul 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Jefferies upgraded MSC Industrial (NYSE:MSM) to Buy from Hold after meeting with management as they believe shares are attractive at current levels. The firm raised their target price to $44 from $32.
  
• UBS upgraded DuPont Fabros (NYSE:DFT) to Buy from Neutral and raised their target to $7 from $2. The firm believes DuPont Fabros will receive a waiver on its CH1 Construction loan for at least a year.
  
• Royal Bank of Scotland upgraded Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) to Buy from Hold to reflect the company's derisking of its trading book.
• Smith & Nephew (NYSE:SNN) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Goldman and added to the Conviction Buy List; Cigna (NYSE:CI) was also added to the Conviction Buy List.
  
• Affymetrix (NASDAQ:AFFX) was raised to Equal Weight from Underweight at Morgan Stanley.
  
• Airtran Holdings (NYSE:AAI) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Jesup & Lamont.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: CS, CI, UNH, AMAT, NFLX

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: CS, CI, UNH, AMAT, NFLX originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 12:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• UBS believes US airlines estimates are too low and will move higher. The firm upgraded AirTran (NYSE: AAI), AMR Corp (NYSE: AMR), Continental (NYSE: CAL), Delta (NYSE: DAL) and Northwest (NYSE: NWA) to Buy from Neutral and JetBlue (NASDAQ: JBLU) to Neutral from Sell.
  
• JMP Securities upgraded DealerTrack (NASDAQ: TRAK) to OUtperform from Market Perform as they believe 2H08 guidance represents a floor and that 2009 estimates are achievable, among other reasons.
• Potash (NYSE: POT) and Mosaic (NYSE: MOS) were raised to Buy from Hold at Soleil.
  
• Argus upgraded Seagate (NYSE: STX) to Buy from Hold on Friday.

• Jefferies downgraded Citrix Systems (NASDAQ: CTXS) to Underperform from Hold as they do not see a catalyst for the company to grow into 2009 consensus estimates. The firm lowered their target price to $25 from $32.
  
• Citigroup said following Lehman's (NYSE: LEH) bankruptcy, they expect a distressed-sale of American International's (NYSE: AIG) MBS portfolio, resulting in the worst quarter yet for the company. Shares were cut to Hold from Buy.
• D.R. Horton (NYSE: DHI) was downgraded to Sell from Hold and Pulte Homes (NYSE: PHM) was downgraded to Hold from Sell at Citigroup.
  
• Merrill downgraded Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) to Neutral from Buy and JP Morgan (NYSE: JPM) to Underperform from Neutral.

Continue reading Analyst calls: AAI, AMR, CAL, POT, AIG, DHI, PHM, GS, JPM, LOW ...

Analyst calls: AAI, AMR, CAL, POT, AIG, DHI, PHM, GS, JPM, LOW ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Banc of America upgraded PetSmart (NASDAQ:PETM) to Buy from Neutral on valuation, as they believe the market is overly negative on the company's cyclicality.
  
• Keefe Bruyette upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan (NYSE:MMC) to Outperform from Market Perform on increased confidence management will be able to improve margins.
  
• JP Morgan upgraded Pinnacle Airlines (NASDAQ:PNCL) to Overweight from Underweight citing the company's FCF and contract certainty.

• Hasbro (NYSE:HAS) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Needham.
  
• Calyon raised Airtran Holdings (AAI) to Add from Neutral.
  
• Liberty Entertainment (LMDIA) was raised at Merrill to Buy from Neutral.

Analyst upgrades: PETM, MMC and PNCL originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Lehman downgraded the airline sector to Neutral from Positive, citing higher fuel costs and the weakening economy. AirTran (NYSE: AAI) and U.S. Airways (NYSE: LCC) were downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight. UBS said it can no longer recommend airline stocks due to weakening economy, high fuel prices, and less likely industry consolidation. The firm downgraded Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL), Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL), Northwest Airlines (NYSE: NWA) and U.S. Airways to Neutral from Buy.
  
• Goldman removed shares of Siemens (NYSE: SI) from their Conviction Buy List as they believe the company may book additional charges of $1.2B this year.
  
• Jefferies cut Internap (NASDAQ: INAP) to Underperform from Buy as they believe the 10-K filing delay and revenue quality questions reduce visibility into the health of the business.

• Wachovia lowered Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) to Market Perform from Outperform.
  
• SI International (NASDAQ: SINT) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Cowen.
  
• Citigroup cut Assured Guaranty (NYSE: AGO) to Hold from Buy.

Analyst downgrades: Airline stocks, SI and INAP originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• The Wall Street Journal's "Heard on the Street" reported that VCG Special Opportunities Master Fund, a $58M asset hedge fund which is owned by an investment firm that also owns a Puerto Rican investment bank, is separately suing Citigroup Incorporated (NYSE: C) and Wachovia Corporation (NYSE: WB) for requiring it to pay money from "credit default swaps" as the value of mortgage backed bonds fell.

• In an attempt to cut back its growth plans due to higher fuel costs, AirTran Holdings Inc (NYSE: AAI) CEO Bob Fornaro said the Orlando-based airline will sell two jets next month. The Orlando Sentinel reported that record fuel costs could also impact AirTran's negotiations with its pilots union.
• Fnac is in talks with Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) to sell the iPhone in France, Le Figaro reported. The head of PPR SA's Fnac Chain, Denis Olivennes, said France Telecom's (NYSE: FTE) exclusivity rights for the iPhone in France are "inadmissible."

• Bloomberg reported that the head of Dubai International Capital, Sameer al-Ansari, said that as losses increase from the subprime mortgage market turmoil, Citigroup may need additional capital from outside investors.

Newspaper wrap-up: Fnac in talks to sell iPhone in France originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 04 Mar 2008 08:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Bear Stearns downgraded shares of ING Group (NYSE: ING) to Peer Perform from Underperform after the company's Q3 results, given continued concerns regarding the US mortgage market.
  
• Jefferies lowered its rating on Innerworkings (NASDAQ: INWK) to Hold from Buy on valuation, as they see limited upside after the in-line Q3 results.
  
• Kenexa (NASDAQ: KNXA) was downgraded to Market Underperform from Market Perform at JMP Securities. The firm downgraded shares following the disappointing Q3 report and guidance as pressure on its business is likely to continue.
  
• UBS downgraded AirTran Holdings (NYSE: AAI) to Neutral from Buy and AMR Corporation (NYSE: AMR) to Sell from Neutral. The firm cited weakening corporate demand for the downgrades.

• NICE Systems (NASDAQ: NICE) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Banc of America.
  
• Deutsche Bank downgraded Gol Linhas Aereas (NYSE: GOL) to Hold from Buy.
  
• Wachovia downgraded the Broker Sector to Market Weight from Overweight, also downgrading Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) to Market Perform from Outperform.
  
• Goldman removed Maxim (NASDAQ: MXIM) from its Conviction Buy List.

Analyst downgrades: ING, INWK, KNXA, AAI and AMR originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 08 Nov 2007 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The cookies are safe ... for now originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 21 Aug 2007 16:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Midwest CEO: 'The cookies stay' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 17 Aug 2007 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Virgin America to introduce 'premium economy class' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 16 Aug 2007 20:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

AirTran Holdings

• AirTran wants to rebrand the airline under its own name and integrate Midwest's operations into its broader network.

• Under the TPG offer, Midwest would maintain its brand name and its current management. Northwest, a company that has had nothing but problem after problem since it emerged from bankruptcy earlier this year, would not participate in the management or have any direct control over Midwest. Instead, Northwest hopes to explore cost reduction strategies like joint fuel purchasing.

AirTran bids for Midwest, again originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 15 Aug 2007 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Northwest (NWA) would rather buy competition than improve originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 13 Aug 2007 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Hawaii for a buck? Mesa Air Group's (NASDAQ: MESA) go! Airlines has nine-upped Skybus's $10 tickets by offering 2,000 $1 flights to Hawaii. The tickets, which went on sale Monday, were quickly snatched up.

The move is bound to ruffle the feathers of competitors Aloha and Hawaiian (AMEX: HA), who filed a lawsuit late last year claiming Mesa had used confidential information the two had shared with Mesa as a potential investor to launch go!'s Hawaii service. The $1 promotion can only make the fare fight fiercer, good news for vacationers to the sunny islands.

Skybus, the newest RyanAir-model entry into the industry, has gained a great deal of attention for its practice of selling ten $10 seats on each flight. The remaining seats are sold, exclusively via its web site, on a sliding scale, growing more expensive as the plane approaches capacity.

Skybus's severely no-frills approach has put price pressure on budget competitors including Southwest (NYSE: LUV), Airtran (NYSE:AAI) and JetBlue (NASDAQ:JBLU). At a time when passenger traffic is softening and fuel prices skyrocketing, the prospect of a mini price-war among the bottom feeders doesn't seem strong. I can still hope, though -- I really would like to visit Hawaii.

Hawaii for a buck? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 13 Jun 2007 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Calyon downgraded shares of Airtran Holdings to Neutral from Add, citing concerns with AAI's yield trends.
• The firm also downgraded shares of UAL Corp to Add from Buy based on higher fuel prices and slightly weaker-than-expected RASM increases.
• Stifel downgraded the REIT Sector citing rising interest rates and mutual fund outflows, among other reasons. Companies that include Cedar Shopping Centers Inc (NYSE: CDR), Kimco Realty Corporation (NYSE: KIM), Kite Realty Group Trust (NYSE: KRG), Ramco-Gershenson Properties Trust (NYSE: RPT), Simon Property Group Inc (NYSE: SPG) and Tanger Factory Outlet Centers Inc (NYSE: SKT) were downgraded to Hold from Buy.

• Morgan Joseph downgraded shares of Penn National Gaming Inc (NASDAQ: PENN) to Hold from Buy on valuation.
• CBOT Holdings Inc (NYSE: BOT) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Credit Suisse.
• JP Morgan downgraded shares of Netflix Inc (NASDAQ: NFLX) to Underweight from Neutral, as the firm believes the company's growth will be impacted by Blockbuster Inc's (NYSE: BBI) Total Access offer.

Analyst downgrades 6-11-07: AAI, UAUA and the REIT sector originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 11 Jun 2007 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.