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Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AAPL, APC, CAB, DE, HOV, MVL ...

Analyst upgrades:

  • FBR Capital upgraded Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE: APC) to Outperform from Market Perform to reflect upcoming catalysts and the company's opportunity in subsalt. FBR raised its target on shares to $60 from $50.
  • Citigroup upgraded Marvel (NYSE: MVL) to Hold from Sell on expectations the acquisition by Disney (NYSE: DIS) will close. The firm raised its target on shares to $50 from $31.
  • JPMorgan upgraded Cubic (NYSE: CUB) to Overweight from Neutral on expectations the company will benefit from the Vix ERG acquisition and increased sales visibility. The firm raised its target on shares to $43 from $38.
  • Siemens (NYSE: SI) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Bernstein.
  • Deutsche Telekom (NYSE: DT) was upgraded to Neutral from Underperform at Credit Suisse.
  • Thompson Creek (NYSE: TC) was upgraded to Sector Outperformer from Sector Performer at CIBC.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AAPL, APC, CAB, DE, HOV, MVL ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ANF, BJS, CBE, GENZ, ROK, SI ...

Analyst upgrades:

  • Citigroup upgraded Cooper Industries (NYSE: CBE) to Buy from Hold on valuation as it believes commercial construction concerns are well known. The firm raised its target on shares to $40 from $37, and coupled the upgrade with a downgrade of Rockwell Automation (NYSE: ROK) to Sell from Hold.
  • Credit Suisse upgraded BJ Services (NYSE: BJS) to Neutral from Underperform following its acquisition by Baker Hughes (NYSE: BHI). The firm raised its target to $17.
  • Credit Suisse also upgraded Amkor Technology (NASDAQ: AMKR) to Outperform from Neutral and raised its target to $8 from $7. The firm expects Amkor to benefit from near-term strength in the supply chain and the mix shift towards higher value packaging.
  • Textron (NYSE: TXT) was upgraded to Conviction Buy from Neutral at Goldman.
  • Siemens (NYSE: SI) was upgraded to Neutral from Sell at UBS.
  • Stanley Works (NYSE: SWK) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Janney Montgomery.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ANF, BJS, CBE, GENZ, ROK, SI ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: BP, DIS, JCG, MOS, POT, PSUN ...

Analyst upgrades:

  • Pacific Sunwear (NASDAQ: PSUN) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral by Pali Capital, which cited low expectations, new CEO experience, and compelling risk/reward for the upgrade.
  • RBC Capital raised Aruba Networks (NASDAQ: ARUN) to Outperform from Sector Perform, based on increased visibility into wireless networking products.
  • J. Crew (NYSE: JCG) was upgraded to Hold from Underperform by Needham after the company reported better-than-expected Q2 report and guidance.
  • RBC Capital raised Lundin Mining (NYSE: LMC) to Outperform from Sector Perform, citing updated copper forecasts and valuation.
  • Netezza (NYSE: NZ) was upgraded to Buy from Accumulate by ThinkEquity.
  • Sanofi-Aventis (NYSE: SNY) was raised to Overweight from Neutral by JPMorgan.
  • Williams-Sonoma (NYSE: WSM) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral by Goldman.
  • Network Engines (NASDAQ: NENG) was raised to Buy from Hold by Cantor.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: BP, DIS, JCG, MOS, POT, PSUN ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ALU, AMED, BIIB, CP, NZ, TWX ...

Analyst upgrades:

  • Natixis expects Alcatel-Lucent's (NYSE: ALU) results to improve in 2H09, driven by the CDMA segment and completion of Lucent integration. Shares were upgraded to Buy from Reduce.
  • RBC Capital upgraded Canadian Pacific (NYSE: CP) to Outperform from Sector Perform and raised its target to $67 from $49. The firm expects a return to "normalized" operating environment driven by Potash and MetCoal.
  • Credit Suisse upgraded Affiliated Managers Group (NYSE: AMG) to Outperform from Neutral and raised its target to $69 from $64. The firm cites valuation, potential upside from 2H09 deals, and expectations for positive 2H09 flows for the upgrade.
  • Kennametal (NYSE: KMT) coverage was assumed with a Neutral from Underweight at JPMorgan.
  • Cardinal Financial (NASDAQ: CFNL) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Baird.
  • General Maritime (NYSE: GMR) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at FBR Capital.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ALU, AMED, BIIB, CP, NZ, TWX ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ACI, CMCSA, DF, HPQ, LEAP, ZLC ...

Analyst upgrades:

  • FBR Capital upgraded CapitalSource (NYSE: CSE) to Outperform from Market Perform on valuation as it sees an attractive risk/reward at current levels. The firm raised its target on shares to $5 from $3.
  • Kaufman Bros. upgraded The Knot (NASDAQ: KNOT) to Buy from Hold following the company's Q2 results to reflect stable national advertising and a better bottom-line outlook. The firm raised its target on shares to $11 from $8.50.
  • Baird upgraded Obagi Medical (NASDAQ: OMPI) to Outperform from Neutral and raised its target to $10 from $7 following the strong Q2 report. The firm believes business bottomed in Q1 and the outlook is improving.
  • IPC The Hospitalist Co. (NASDAQ: IPCM) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Stephens.
  • King Pharma (NYSE: KG) was upgraded at BofA/Merrill to Buy from Hold.
  • Infinera (NASDAQ: INFN) was upgraded to Hold from Underperform at Jefferies.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ACI, CMCSA, DF, HPQ, LEAP, ZLC ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: MET, COST, WAG, CAG...

Analyst upgrades:
  • Keefe Bruyette upgraded MetLife (NYSE: MET) to Outperform from Market Perform as they believe the company's capital and liquidity profile are very solid relative to this week's sell-off.
  • The firm also upgraded shares of MSCI (NYSE: MXB) to Outperform from Market Perform on valuation as they believe near-term challenges are already priced into shares.
  • Burlington Northern (NYSE: BNI) was raised to Overweight from Neutral at JP Morgan based on valuation and strong pricing outlook.
  • Costco (NASDAQ: COST) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Goldman.
  • Pali Capital lifted Virgin Mobile (NYSE: VM) to Neutral from Sell.
  • Merrill upgraded Pall (NYS: PLL) and Xcel Energy (NYSE: XEL) to buy from Neutral.
Analyst downgrades:
  • Oppenheimer downgraded shares of Trimble Navigation (NASDAQ: TRMB) to Perform from Outperform as they believe the company's Engineering and Construction division is facing a challenging period due to the credit market strain.
  • Stephens downgraded Seacoast Banking (NASDAQ:SBCF) to Underweight from Equal Weight as they believe a dilutive capital raise is possible given future losses from real estate credits in coastal Florida.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: MET, COST, WAG, CAG...

Analyst calls: AAPL, NCC, NT, TLAB, TTWO, TSCM, HOT, CHK ...

Analyst upgrades:
  • Oppenheimer upgraded shares of National City (NYSE: NCC) to Outperform from Perform on valuation as they believe the bank is not seeing a mass exodus of depositors.
  • Wachovia upgraded Brookfield Infrastructure (NYSE: BIP) to Outperform from Market Perform due to what the firm sees as the company's solid cash flow growth outlook, strong balance sheet, and discounted valuation.
  • Baird upgraded Tellabs (NASDAQ: TLAB) to Outperform from Neutral citing valuation and improving 2009 prospects from 8800, 8600, and 7100 products and better Opex management..
  • Take-Two (NASDAQ: TTWO) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Cowen.
  • UBS raised Nortel Networks (NYSE: NT) to Buy from Neutral.
  • Borg-Warner (NYSE: BWA) was raised to Buy from Hold at Keybanc.
Analyst downgrades:
  • Merriman downgraded shares of TheStreet.com (NASDAQ: TSCM) and Bankrate (NASDAQ: RATE) to Neutral from Buy to reflect concerns about display advertising trends and the company's above average exposure to the financial vertical.
  • Baird downgraded Monaco Coach (NYSE: MNC) to Neutral from Outperform and Thor Industries (NYSE: THO) and Winnebago Industries (NYSE: WGO) to Underperform from Neutral citing valuations and checks that indicate "dreadful" fundamentals.
  • RBC Capital downgraded Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) to Sector Perform from Outperform citing weakening consumer spending, reduced visibility, and risks to valuation. The company's target was lowered to $140 from $200.

Continue reading Analyst calls: AAPL, NCC, NT, TLAB, TTWO, TSCM, HOT, CHK ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations

Analyst upgrades:
  • Merrill upgraded Schering-Plough (NYSE: SGP) to Buy from Neutral citing the company's better near-term pipeline outlook with two potential blockbusters to be approved over the next year. Schering-Plough's target was raised to $23 from $20.
  • Morgan Stanley lifted RadioShack (NYSE: RSH) and Texas Roadhouse (NASDAQ: TXRH) to Equal Weight from Underweight.
Analyst downgrades:
  • Jefferies downgraded shares of Hologic (NASDAQ: HOLX) to Hold from Buy as they see limited near-term catalysts after the company reported a Q3 miss and lowered top-line guidance for FY08. The firm lowered their target to $24 from $28.
  • Baird downgraded California Pizza (NASDAQ: CPKI) to Neutral from Outperform as they see limited near-term upside given the uncertain 2H08/2009 outlook. The company's target was lowered to $15 from $17.
  • JP Morgan downgraded Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE: JLL) and CB Richard Ellis (NYSE: CBG) to Neutral from Overweight due to the continued challenging economic environment.
Analyst initiations:
  • BC Capital initiated Dollar Financial(NYSE: DLLR) with an Outperform rating and $24 target. The firm likes Dollar's geographically diversified business and valuation.

Analyst downgrades: VARI, CMG and MCD

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Varian, Chipotle Mexican Grill and McDonald's were today's noteworthy downgrades:
  • Thomas Weisel downgraded shares of Varian (NASDAQ:VARI) to Market Weight from Overweight following the company's Q3 results to reflect manufacturing relocation issues and the slowdown in organic growth. The firm lowered their target to $47 from $70.
  • Jefferies cut Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) to Hold from Buy following the company's in-line Q2 results, as they believe consumer headwinds and commodity inflation are likely to pressure EPS in coming quarters. The firm lowered their target to $80 from $100.
  • Deutsche Bank downgraded McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) to Hold from Buy as they believe higher beef costs and slower traffic could drive reduced profitability and limit upside. The firm reduced their target to $63 from $67.
OTHER DOWNGRADES:
  • AT&T (NYSE:T) was lowered to Neutral from Overweight at JP Morgan.
  • Baird cut Citrix Systems (NASDAQ:CTXS) to Neutral from Outperform.
  • Raymond James (NYSE:RJF) was lowered to Market Perform from Outperform at Wachovia.

Analyst downgrades: EBAY, WFC and ASML

MOST NOTEWORTHY: eBay (EBAY), Wells Fargo (WFC) and ASML Holdings (ASML) were today's noteworthy downgrades:
  • Thomas Weisel downgraded shares of eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY) following the company's Q2 results, as they did not see an improvement in the underlying fundamentals. Goldman lowered eBay to Neutral from Buy and cut its target to $30 from $38.
  • UBS downgraded Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) to Neutral from Buy citing valuation and reduced capital flexibility.
  • Merrill downgraded shares of ASML Holdings (NASDAQ:ASML) to Underperform from Neutral as they believe the company's demand slowdown could carry into next year.
OTHER DOWNGRADES:

Analyst downgrades: BAC, ETM and OPXT

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Bank of America, Entercom Comm and Opnext were today's noteworthy downgrades:
  • Morgan Stanley downgraded Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) to Underweight from Equal Weight as they believe the company may need to raise an additional $12B in capital in Q4 and cut its dividend by 20%.
  • Citigroup cut Entercom Comm (NYSE:ETM) to Sell from Hold as they see near-term downside risk for radio stocks given the weaker economic backdrop and underperforming radio ad spend. The firm lowered their target to $5 from $9.75.
  • Merriman downgraded Opnext (NASDAQ:OPXT) to Neutral from Buy following the acquisition of Stratalight, as they believe the deal is too stock heavy given the current valuation and has concerns about competition in the 40G market.
OTHER DOWNGRADES:

Analyst downgrades: NVDA, AFLYY and UNH

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Nvidia, Air France and UnitedHealth were today's noteworthy downgrades:
  • JP Morgan downgraded Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) to Neutral from Overweight following the company's lowered guidance.
  • Deutsche Bank cut Air France (Other OTC:AFLYY) to Sell from Hold as they believe consensus revenue estimates need to come down.
  • Following UnitedHealth's (NYSE:UNH) lowered guidance, UBS said there is "little hope" for improvement in 2009 and that the company has above average exposure to the Medicare segment, which is being politically pressured. UBS downgraded shares to Neutral from Buy.
OTHER DOWNGRADES:
  • Aetna (NYSE:AET) and Health Net (NYSE:HNT) were downgraded to Sell from Neutral at Goldman.
  • Dice Holdings (NYSE:DHX) was lowered at Wachovia to Market Perform from Outperform.
  • Zhone (NASDAQ:ZHNE) was downgraded to Source of Funds from Buy at ThinkPanmure.

Analyst downgrades: MNI, ANSS and FO

MOST NOTEWORTHY: McClatchy News, Ansys and Fortune Brands were today's noteworthy downgrades:
  • Deutsche Bank downgraded shares of McClatchy (NYSE:MNI) to Sell from Hold after transferring analyst coverage as they believe leverage issues will continue to pressure the stock.
  • Jefferies downgraded shares of Ansys (NASDAQ:ANSS) to Hold from Buy on valuation and their belief that a slow U.S. manufacturing economy may be impacting sales cycles at the margin.
  • Fortune Brands (NYSE:FO) was lowered to Market Perform from OUtperform at Wachovia following its lowered 2008 outlook.
OTHER DOWNGRADES:

Analyst downgrades: UBS, CVH and ESRX

MOST NOTEWORTHY: UBS AG, Coventry Health, Express Scripts and Medco Health were today's noteworthy downgrades:
  • Credit Suisse downgraded shares of UBS (NYSE:UBS) to Neutral from Outperform as they believe UBS will have difficulty rebuilding the franchise and do not expect a quick recovery for its private bank unit.
  • Wachovia downgraded Coventry Health (NYSE:CVH) to Market Perform from Outperform citing concerns regarding visibility around higher than expected inpatient/outpatient costs following reduced 2008 guidance.
  • UBS downgraded Express Scripts (NASDAQ:ESRX) and Medco Health to Neutral from Buy citing the Pfizer (NYSE:PFE)/Ranbaxy settlement, which reduces the likelihood of a generic Lipitor launch in 2010.
OTHER DOWNGRADES:
  • Goldman downgraded ENI SpA (NYSE:E) to Neutral from Buy and removed the stock from the Pan-Europe Conviction Buy List.
  • Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) was downgraded to Underperform from hold at Jefferies.
  • Commercial Metals (NYSE:CMC) was cut at Citigroup to Hold from Buy.

Analyst downgrades: LZ, BMRN and NVS

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Lubrizol, BioMarin Pharmaceutical and Novartis were today's noteworthy downgrades:
  • Jefferies downgraded shares of Lubrizol (NYSE:LZ) to Hold from Buy as they expect persistent raw material cost pressures to limit upside over the next few quarters. The firm lowered their target price to $60 from $65.
  • Citigroup cut BioMarin (NASDAQ:BMRN) to Hold from Buy after their survey indicated an upside surprise from the Kuvan launch is unlikely. The firm lowered their target price to $37 from $42.
  • HSBC downgraded shares of Novartis (NYSE:NVS) to Underweight from Neutral following the company's stake in Alcon (NYSE:ACL) as they believe it dilutes the company's return on assets.
OTHER DOWNGRADES:

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DJIA+17.4610,023.42
NASDAQ+7.122,112.44
S&P 500+2.671,069.30

Last updated: November 08, 2009: 10:17 PM

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