Analyst Upgrades

• Akamai (AKAM) to overweight from neutral at Piper Jaffray.
• Las Vegas Sands (LVS) to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Aetna (AET) to Outperform from market perform at Leerink.
• Hot Topic (HOTT) to buy from neutral at Janney Capital.
• Colonial Properties (CLP) upgraded to Outperform from market perform at FBR Capital and to buy from hold at Citigroup.
• Altera (ALTR) to buy from hold at Citigroup.
• American Reprographics (ARC), CarMax (KMX) and American Campus (ACC) to outperform from neutral at RW Baird.
• Zebra Tech (ZBRA) to neutral from underweight at JPMorgan.
• IMAX (IMAX) to buy from hold at Canaccord.
• Basic Energy (BAS) to neutral from sell at Goldman.
• Mednax (MD) to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• UTi Worldwide (UTIW) to buy from hold at Stifel Nicolaus.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AET, AKAM, BBY, DVN, HOG, IMAX, LVS, RIMM, UNH, URBN ...

Analyst Calls: AET, AKAM, BBY, DVN, HOG, IMAX, LVS, RIMM, UNH, URBN ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This post is part of Japan: A Special Report for Investors.

"Japan's tsunami has struck worldwide," says Richard Moroney, the editor of Dow Theory Forecasts, which has maintained a model portfolio of blue chip stocks for over 50 years.

Here, he reviews a number of the top buy recommendations in the newsletter's portfolios to determine the potential risk posed by the recent tragic developments in Japan.

Stocks cited as "Focus List Buys" are are those issues that the service expect to significantly outperform the market over the next 12 months.

Continue reading Japan: Dow Theory's Blue Chip Portfolio Review

Japan: Dow Theory's Blue Chip Portfolio Review originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Intel (INTC), ON Semiconductor (ONNN), Lattice Semiconductor (LSCC), Fairchild Semiconductor (FSC), STMicroelectronics (STM) and Altera (ALTR) to outperform from neutral at RW Baird.
• Capital One (COF) to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.
• Dollar Tree (DLTR) to buy from neutral at Goldman.
• Foot Locker (FL) to buy from neutral at Sterne Agee.
• Progressive (PGR) to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Flow International (FLOW) to buy from neutral at Roth Capital.
• Signature Bank (SBNY) to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• HiSoft Technology (HSFT) to buy from neutral at UBS.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AMTD, C, COF, DLTR, FL, GS, IBM, INTC, NYT, PGR, SCHW ...

Analyst Calls: AMTD, C, COF, DLTR, FL, GS, IBM, INTC, NYT, PGR, SCHW ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Buoyed by strong operating momentum, the technology sector earns high marks in our Quadrix(R) stock- rating system," says Richard Moroney.

The editor of Dow Theory Forecasts explains, "Our favorite picks in the tech sector -Altera (ALTR), Apple (AAPL), IBM (IBM) and Texas Instruments (TXN) - share some favorable qualities.

➤ December-quarter results: All four topped consensus estimates, producing double-digit growth in per- share profits. Revenue also exceeded expectations.

Continue reading Top Techs: Dow Theory's 4 Favorites

Top Techs: Dow Theory's 4 Favorites originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 02 Mar 2011 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• FedEx (FDX) and Concur Tech (CNQR) to outperform from neutral at RW Baird.
• Hershey (HSY) to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.
• Open Text (OTEX) to outperform from sector perform at RBC Capital.
• Bemis (BMS) and Hudson Pacific (HPP) upgraded to buy from hold at KeyBanc.
• InterActiveCorp (IACI) to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• KB Home (KBH) to neutral from sell at Goldman.
• News Corp. (NWSA) to neutral from underperform at Cowen.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: FDX, HSY, IACI, FSLR, AON ...

Analyst Calls: FDX, HSY, IACI, FSLR, AON ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 03 Feb 2011 13:00:00 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

• Red Hat (RHT) and American Public (APEI) to outperform from sector perform at RBC Capital.
• KBR (KBR) and Foster Wheeler (FWLT) to buy from neutral at Goldman.
• Bio-Rad (BIO) to outperform from market perform at Leerink.
• Oceaneering (OII) to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.
• ASM International (ASMI) and Avid Technology (AVID) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Dominion Resources (D) to equal weight from underweight at Morgan Stanley.
• Nationwide Health Properties (NHP) to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• Vivus (VVUS) to buy from underperform at BofA/Merrill.
• Intersil (ISIL) to buy from hold at Canaccord.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ALTR, CBOE, D, ETR, JCI, KBR, MMM, NFLX, OII, RHT, WY ...

Analyst Calls: ALTR, CBOE, D, ETR, JCI, KBR, MMM, NFLX, OII, RHT, WY ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Goldman upgraded Citigroup (C) to conviction buy from buy, Principal Financial (PFG) to buy from neutral, and Stancorp Financial (SFG) and Hartford Financial (HIG) to neutral from sell.
• JetBlue (JBLU) was upgraded to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Barclays upgraded Royal Caribbean (RCL) and Carnival (CCL) upgraded to overweight from equal weight.
• Hollysys Automation (HOLI) was upgraded to buy from hold at Roth Capital.
• RBC Capital upgraded Alliance Data Systems (ADS) to outperform from sector perform.
• RRI Energy (RRI) was upgraded to buy from hold at Citigroup.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ALTR, ATHN, C, CCL, HD, JBLU, LUV, MSFT, RCL ...

Analyst Calls: ALTR, ATHN, C, CCL, HD, JBLU, LUV, MSFT, RCL ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Wells Fargo upgraded PG&E (PCG) to outperform from market perform and raised its range for shares to $50 to $52 from $44 to $46, citing the proposed settlement in the company's 2011 General Rate Case.
• Jefferies upgraded Huntsman (HUN) to buy from hold and raised its price target for shares to $17 from $12, citing valuation and the likelihood for favorable earnings revisions.
• RBC Capital upgraded Jack in the Box (JACK) to outperform from sector perform with a $28 target, citing checks showing improved fast food sales in recent months and easy comps.
• Sonic (SONC) was upgraded to outperform from sector perform at RBC Capital and $12 price target.
• Synaptics (SYNA) was upgraded to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan and $40 price target.
• Excel Maritime (EXM) was upgraded to buy from hold at Cantor and raised its price target to $7 from $5.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ALTR, ANR, BJRI, COP, HUN, JACK, OSG, PCG, PEP, PM, SONC ...

Analyst Calls: ALTR, ANR, BJRI, COP, HUN, JACK, OSG, PCG, PEP, PM, SONC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 18 Oct 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Federal Reserve's next Beige Book report is scheduled to be released this week. This report is a compilation of anecdotal information on current economic conditions from each of the 12 Federal Reserve Bank districts, and it is released eight times a year. The data comes from interviews with business contacts, economists, market experts, and other sources. The June report is expected to show strengthening signs of expansion, though results could be mixed across the 12 districts.

Economic data due out this week include:

Continue reading The Week in Preview: Beige Book, Federal Budget, Retail Sales

The Week in Preview: Beige Book, Federal Budget, Retail Sales originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 06 Jun 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Pali Capital upgraded Lazard (LAZ) to buy from neutral, citing a healthy restructuring environment, improving M&A and strength in the asset management segment. The firm has a $46 target on shares.
• Baird upgraded Scansource (SCSC) to outperform from neutral, citing strength in the channel business and growth drivers from improved telephony and security. The firm has a $30 target on shares.
• Citigroup upgraded Liberty Interactive (LINTA) to buy from hold, citing the company's QVC unit's return to growth. The firm raised its target on shares to $13.25 from $12.
• Hess Corp (HES) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.
• Vulcan Materials (VMC) was upgraded to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Dillard's (DDS) was upgraded to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: BRCM, D, FRED, INTC, LAZ, SCSC ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: BRCM, D, FRED, INTC, LAZ, SCSC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In addition to Intel Corp.'s (NASDAQ: INTC) third quarter earnings release, chip makers Altera Corp. (NASDAQ: ALTR) and Linear Technology Corp. (NASDAQ: LLTC) are expected to post results Tuesday after the market closes as well. (Also see our Intel earnings preview.)

For the three months that ended in September, analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect Altera to report that its net income fell 38.7% from a year ago to $0.19 per share. Revenue for the period is expected to be 20.6% lower to $283.3 million, which is in line with recently raised guidance. Altera has met or topped earnings estimates in the past five quarters, beating by as much as a nickel per share. The long-term EPS growth forecast is 14.4%, which is better than that of competitors Intel and Texas Instruments Corp. (NYSE: TXN).

Continue reading Altera, Linear Technologies expected to post lower Q3 profits, revenue

Altera, Linear Technologies expected to post lower Q3 profits, revenue originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Altera's earnings fall year-over-year but manages to match estimates

Altera's earnings fall year-over-year but manages to match estimates originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• McAdams Wright expects Dendreon's (NASDAQ: DNDN) near-term momentum to continue but has long-term concerns that Street estimates are too high. The firm upgraded shares to Hold from Sell.
• JPMorgan upgraded Ameristar Casinos (NASDAQ: ASCA) to Overweight from Neutral to reflect valuation, potential catalysts from Colorado's easing gaming regulations, and the company's strong free cash flow. The firm raised its target on shares to $24 from $20.
• Citigroup upgraded Valspar (NYSE: VAL) to Hold from Sell after channel checks indicated paint demand is shifting to big-box retailers, the company's primary sales channel. The firm raised its target on shares to $22 from $19.
• Vulcan Materials (NYSE: VMC) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at UBS.
• Altera (NASDAQ: ALTR) was raised to Outperform from Sector Perform at RBC Capital.
• Spectra Energy (NYSE: SEP) was upgraded to Neutral from Sell at Goldman.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ALU, BJ, CPB, KMX, PGR

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ALU, BJ, CPB, KMX, PGR originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Xilinx (NASDAQ: XLNX), a tech entity involved in programmable logic and a colleague of companies like Actel (NASDAQ: ACTL) and Altera (NASDAQ: ALTR), issued a business update on Tuesday. Believe it or not, it contained some good news. How about that for a change? I'm sure shareholders were pleased.

According to this news item, Xilinx believes that its revenue picture should be better than previously thought. Sales should drop by somewhere between 13% and 18% for the March quarter on a sequential basis. Management had originally believed that they'd have to report a sequential revenue drop between 15% and 25%. So, yes, there will still be a decline, but hey, if it's less than expected, you gotta take that. It's too bad, though, that the gross margin range wasn't raised. It should still fall between 61% and 63%. If management had raised that as well, then I bet the stock would have closed even higher on the news. It rose almost 4% on better-than-average volume yesterday.

Continue reading Xilinx delivers improved sales guidance -- is the company a buy?

Xilinx delivers improved sales guidance -- is the company a buy? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 04 Mar 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• JP Morgan upgraded shares of Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) to Overweight from Neutral as they believe the company's market share gains in the e-commerce sector will continue and that new product lines are adding diversification of revenue streams.
  
• Wachovia upgraded Leap Wireless (NASDAQ:LEAP) to Outperform from Market Perform citing new market launches that should drive subscriber growth and reduced ARPU deterioration.
  
• Deutsche Bank upgraded shares of Pride International (NYSE:PDE) to Buy from Hold as they believe investors will view the stock as a pure deepwater play beginning in Q2.
• PDL BioPharma (NASDAQ:PDLI) was upgraded to Neutral from Underweight at JP Morgan.
  
• Best Buy (NYSE:BBY) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Goldman.
  
• Altera (NYSE:ALTR) was upgraded at Wachovia to Outperform from Market Perform.

• Keefe Bruyette downgraded Southside Bancshares (NASDAQ:SBSI), Prosperity Bancshares (NASDAQ:PRSP), Cullen/Frost (NYSE:CFR) and BancFirst (NASDAQ:BANF) to Underperform from Market Perform on valuation and the weakening economic outlook in the Southwest.
  
• Oppenheimer cut Varian Medial (NYSE:VAR) to Perform from Outperform as they believe U.S. hospitals could reduce capital spending budgets by 15%-25% in 2009.
  
• Dress Barn (NASDAQ:DBRN) was lowered to Neutral from Buy at SunTrust based on valuation and lack of near-term catalysts.
• JetBlue (NASDAQ:JBLU) was downgraded at Jesup & Lamont to Hold from Buy.
  
• Credit Suisse cut Novellus (NASDAQ:NVLS) to Underperform from Neutral.
  
• Helen of Troy (NASDAQ:HELE) was downgraded to Underweight from Neutral at JP Morgan.

• Merriman initiated Capstone Turbine (NASDAQ:CPST) with a Neutral rating and finds the stock fairly valued at current levels.
  
• Leerink sees a high likelihood that Momenta's (NASDAQ:MNTA) lead product candidates M-Enoxaparin and M-356 clear regulatory and legal hurdles. The firm has an Outperform rating and $16 fair value estimate on shares.
  
• NCI (NASDAQ:NCIT) was initiated with a Market Perform rating at Wachovia based on valuation.
• Teradyne (NYSE:TER) was assumed at Barclays with an Overweight rating and $6 target.

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AMZN, LEAP, BBY, BANF, JBLU originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 05 Jan 2009 12:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The market sold off, but the activity was not broad and had little conviction. After days of gains, there was no surprise in it.

It ran like this:

DJIA: 8,669.11 (down 2.97%)

NASDAQ: 1,547.43 (down 1.55%)

S&P 500: 887.23 (down 2.47%)

General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM) lost some ground on fears of a delay in the proposed $15 billion Congressional bailout plan. After this gained so much yesterday, much of this was in the news already.

Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE: MRK) traded down after its annual pipeline review. The event included formal guidance out of the company on its drug pipeline for the next year and general commentary about how many drugs are in the pipeline for 2010 to 2012. Financial guidance did not seem to impress the market.

Continue reading Closing bell: Stocks retreat after recent rally; GM, MRK, SFD, FDX, DAL all down, NOK, TXN, NSM, ALTR gain

Closing bell: Stocks retreat after recent rally; GM, MRK, SFD, FDX, DAL all down, NOK, TXN, NSM, ALTR gain originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 09 Dec 2008 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• UBS upgraded McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) to Buy from Neutral based on expectations the it can deliver on 2009 EPS expectations and potential for accelerating share gains.
  
• Bernstein upgraded Nokia (NYSE:NOK) to Outperform from Underperform on valuation following the company's profit warning. Merrill upgraded shares to Buy from Neutral to reflect valuation and Nokia's new product portfolio. Shares were also upgraded to Hold from Sell at WestLB.
  
• B. Riley raised UCBH Holdings (NASDAQ:UCBH) to Buy from Neutral to reflect the improved valuation and the company's stronger capital position provided by the US Treasury investment.
• Parexel (NASDAQ:PRXL) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Jefferies.
  
• CTS Corp (NYSE:CTS) was lifted to Neutral from Underweight at JP Morgan.
  
• Hospitality Properties (NYSE:HPT) was upgraded to Equal Weight from Underweight at Morgan Stanley.

• Soleil downgraded Disney (NYSE:DIS) to Hold from Buy to reflect the weakening macro-economic outlook and their belief consensus estimates may be too high. The firm lowered their target to $23 from $40.
  
• Merrill downgraded Dell (NASDAQ:DELL) to Neutral from Buy on expectations PC sales will decline next year amid the slowing economy. The firm lowered Dell's target price to $13 from $22.
  
• Jefferies cut MDS Inc (NASDAQ:MDZ) to Hold from Buy to reflect slowing demand and a lack of catalysts to unlock the company's assets. The firm lowered their target to $10.50 from $15.
• Alcoa (NYSE:AA) was lowered to Neutral from Buy at UBS.
• Tesco PLC (Other OTC:TSCDY) was downgraded at JP Morgan to Underweight from Neutral.
  
• Merrill downgraded SAP AG (NYSE:SAP) to Neutral from Buy.
  
• Goldman added Altera (NASDAQ:ALTR) to the Conviction Sell List.

• Citigroup thinks AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) will benefit from the slowdown in car sales and thinks the recent pullback is overdone. Shares were initiated with a Buy rating and $146 target.
• Citigroup also believes Advance Auto Parts (NYSE:AAP) will benefit from the slowdown in car sales and started shares with a Buy rating and $35 target.
  
• After Sunway (OTCBB:SUWG) reported higher than expected revenue, Roth Capital thinks the company is poised for substantial growth, but the firm thinks its remaining warrants may keep the shares trading at a modest valuation for a significant amount of time. The firm started shares with a Hold rating and $3.60 target.
• Mechel Steel (NYSE:MTL) was initiated with a Neutral rating at Merrill Lynch.
  
• China Life Insurance (NYSE:LFC) was assumed with a Buy rating at UBS.
  
• Gap (NYSE:GPS) was started at Cowen with a Neutral rating.

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: MCD,NOK, DIS, DELL, AA, originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 17 Nov 2008 12:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Jefferies upgraded shares of Constellation Energy (NYSE: CEG) to Buy from Hold and raised its target to $26.50 from $25 on valuation as they believe MidAmerican Energy will consummate the merger. The firm points out shares are trading at a 14% discount to the $26.50 offer.
  
• Merriman upgraded Denny's Corp. (NASDAQ: DENN) to Buy from Neutral as they believe the company's restructuring and successful menu and food cost management should stabilize operating margins.
  
• Daimler (NYSE: DAI) was upgraded at Merrill to Buy from Neutral on valuation as they believe the stock is oversold at current levels.
• Taiwan Semi (NYSE: TSM) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at HSBC.
  
• Veolia Environnement (NYSE: VE) was lifted to Neutral from Underperform at Credit Suisse.
  
• Goldman raised PMC Sierra (NASDAQ: PMCS) to Buy from Neutral.

Analyst downgrades:

Continue reading Analyst calls: RIMM, NYX, NDAQ, PMCS, DENN, DAI . . .

Analyst calls: RIMM, NYX, NDAQ, PMCS, DENN, DAI . . . originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Tomorrow, semiconductor chip makers Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) and Altera Corp. (NYSE: ALTR) are both expected to report profit growth in the third quarter.

Intel is expected by analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial to report earnings of 34 cents per share, 8.8% higher than the same period of last year, on revenue of $10.3 billion. The company has missed estimates in two of the past three quarters, but beat by 10.2% in the second quarter.

Based in Santa Clara, Calif., Intel is the world's largest chip maker, and generates half its revenues from Asia/Pacific. In the past year, the company's revenues were $38.3 billion and its net income totaled $6.9 billion. Its long-term EPS growth forecast is 11.9%, which is less than the S&P, as well as that of rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NYSE: AMD). The consensus recommendation of analysts has recently shifted from hold to buy Intel.

The share price has fallen 17.7% in the past three months, and closed Monday at $16.99, up 11.9% in the day's big rally.

Continue reading Intel, Altera expected to report higher Q3 profits

Intel, Altera expected to report higher Q3 profits originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.