Analyst upgrades:

• Bernstein upgraded Lincoln National (NYSE: LNC) to Outperform from Market Perform based on relative valuation and expectations the company will repay TARP without a capital raise. The firm raised its target to $34 from $26.
• Thomas Weisel upgraded Ticketmaster (NASDAQ: TKTM) to Overweight from Market Weight and raised its target to $12 from $8 citing dynamic ticket pricing and the potential merger with Live Nation (NYSE: LYV).
• Citigroup upgraded Harley-Davidson (NYSE: HOG) to Hold from Sell after channel checks indicated retail sales have improved since Q2. The firm raised its target on shares to $26 from $14.
• McDermott (NYSE: MDR) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse.
• Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) was upgraded to Hold from Sell at Deutsche Bank.
• General Electric (NYSE: GE) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at JPMorgan.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AIG, DFS, ERIC, GE, HOG, SYMC ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AIG, DFS, ERIC, GE, HOG, SYMC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: The close of the week that wouldn't end (AAPL, ARRY, FNM, TIVO)

Closing Bell: The close of the week that wouldn't end (AAPL, ARRY, FNM, TIVO) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 04 Sep 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Goldman upgraded CTC Media (NASDAQ: CTCM) to Buy from Neutral on a better outlook for European Media names and raised its target on shares to $17.60 from $12.
• Morgan Joseph upgraded Movado (NYSE: MOV) to Buy from Hold after the company reported better-than-expected Q2 results. The firm set a $16 target on the stock.
• Needham upgraded LTX Credence (NASDAQ: LTXC) to Strong Buy from Hold following the company's Q4 results with a $3 price target.
• Canon (NYSE: CAJ) was upgraded to Outperform from Underperform at Macquarie.
• Whitney Holding (NASDAQ: WTNY) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at SunTrust.
• Gafisa SA (NYSE: GFA) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ANF, CAJ, CTCM, MOV, MV, VMED ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ANF, CAJ, CTCM, MOV, MV, VMED ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

During 2009, drug treatments for ten diseases in the U.S. will bring pharma companies nearly $170 billion in sales. Those include drugs for major killers like cardiovascular diseases and a number of cancers. Also among the most successful emerging treatments are ones for mental disorders.

Patents on a number of the older blockbuster drugs are running out and a new generation of biotech drugs is offering competition to traditional treatments. Some of the companies that are in the next wave of solving medicine's largest problems are worth watching.

Continue reading Finding biotech's big winners

Finding biotech's big winners originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 22 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Merriman believes GSI Technology Inc (NASDAQ: GSIT) is positioned to benefit as growing bandwidth demand and increasingly complex protocols drive the need for faster and higher density memory in networking equipment. The firm started shares with a Buy rating.
• Array Biopharma Inc (NASDAQ: ARRY) was assumed with an Outperform rating at William Blair. The firm thinks the company's pipeline contains significant value, which will be catalyzed over the next 12-18 months by continued clinical progress and potential partnerships.
• Continental Resources Inc (NYSE: CLR) was initiated with a Buy rating and $30 target at Jefferies, and points to the company's double-digit growth and strong reserve growth potential.

• Lehman initiated Ventas Inc (NYSE: VTR) with an Equal Weight rating $46 target and HCP Inc (NYSE: HCP) with an Overweight rating.
• The Boston Beer Company Inc (NYSE: SAM) was assumed with an Overweight rating and $43 target at HSBC.

Analyst initiations: GSIT, ARRY and CLR originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 07 Feb 2008 10:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• JP Morgan initiated shares of Aruba Networks (NASDAQ: ARUN) with a Neutral rating. The firm believes Aruba shares are fully valued at these levels and reflects strong growth with operating leverage.Pacific Crest believes Aruba, initiated with a Sector Perform rating and $19 target, is a strong alternative to Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) in the WLAN market and its strong position as a point vendor makes the company an attractive acquisition candidate.

• Leerink Swann estimates the aesthetic energy devices sector is likely to experience 20% revenue growth over the next five years. The firm finds Thermage (NASDAQ: THRM) a turnaround-story which has a compelling mix of revenues from disposable tips while Cynosure (NASDAQ: CYNO) is capitalizing successfully on new product cycles with Affirm and SmartLipo. Palomar Medical Technologies (NASDAQ: PMTI) is viewed as the IP leader for hair removal products; Leerink initiated Thermage and Cynosure with Outperform ratings and Palomar with a Market Perform rating.

• Emeritus Corp (AMEX: ESC) was initiated with a Buy rating and $33 target at Stifel, which believes ESC has one of the best cash earnings growth stories among any of the traded senior housing companies.

• CE Unterberg started shares of Synchronoss (NASDAQ: SNCR) with a Buy rating and $41 target.

• Rodman & Renshaw started shares of Array Biopharma (NASDAQ: ARRY) and Tapestry Pharma (NASDAQ: TPPH) with Market Outperform ratings and an $18 target and $5 target, respectively.

• Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX) was initiated with an Overweight rating and $41 target at Morgan Stanley.

Analyst initiations: ARUN, BX and ESC originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 13 Aug 2007 00:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Merriman believes FY07 is a transitional year for Bluefly (NASDAQ: BFLY), starting the company with a Neutral rating, and finds the stock fairly valued at current levels.

• Robert W. Baird expects growth at Leap Wireless International (NASDAQ: LEAP) to be fueled by upcoming market launches, starting shares with an Outperform rating.

• Thomas Weisel is positive on Kona Grill's (NASDAQ: KONA) expansion, same-store sales growth, ramping unit volumes and corporate G&A leverage, starting shares with an Outperform rating.

• Robert W. Baird expects MetroPCS Communications (NYSE: PCS) growth to be fueled by upcoming market launches and initiated shares with an Outperform rating and $14 target.

• Needham believes shares of Beacon Roofing Supply (NASDAQ: BECN) have overreacted to the weak residential new construction market, which represents only 20% of business, and started shares with a Buy rating and $22 target...

• JP Morgan started Array BioPharma Inc (NASDAQ: ARRY) with an Overweight rating.

• Lehman initiated shares of McGraw-Hill Cos, Inc (NYSE: MHP) with an Overweight rating and $81 target.

• MVC Capital, Inc (NYSE: MVC) was started with a Neutral rating and UBS.

• Morgan Joseph started Cash Systems, Inc (NASDAQ: CKNN) with a Buy rating and $9 target.

Analyst initiations 5-23-07: BECN, LEAP, MHP and PCS originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 23 May 2007 11:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Cramer's next biotech; plus a CEO benefit-of-the-doubt

Cramer's next biotech; plus a CEO benefit-of-the-doubt originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 26 Mar 2007 19:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: The Small Cap BioTech sector top today's small list of initiations.

• The Bank of America initiated five companies within the Small Cap BioTech sector:
• Myriad Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ:MYGN), Array BioPharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARRY), Nuvelo, Inc. (NASDAQ:NUVO) and Keryx BioPharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:KERX) with Buy ratings
• and Dendreon Corp (NASDAQ:DNDN) with a Neutral rating.

OTHER INITIATIONS:

• Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ:FISV) was resumed with a Market Perform at Wachovia on valuation
• and Century Casinos, Inc. (NASDAQ:CNTY) was initiated with a Hold at Morgan Joseph on valuation.

Analyst summaries provided by TheFlyOnTheWall.com (subscription required).

Analyst initiations 11-2-06: Small Cap BioTech sector initiated originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 02 Nov 2006 12:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.