"Don't worry about whether the iphone will beat the Android, or the Galaxy the ipad; rather, you should buy the maker of chip machines for mobile devices," says Frida Ghitis.

The contributing editor to Global Investing explains, "Spun off from Phillips, ASML Holdings NV (ASML) -- a quiet high tech star -- is the world leader making lithography system machines for chipmaking by the semiconductor industry.

Continue reading ASML Holding NV (ASML): 'Quiet Star' in Mobile Devices

ASML Holding NV (ASML): 'Quiet Star' in Mobile Devices originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 27 Jan 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Procter & Gamble (PG) upgraded to buy from neutral at Goldman.
• Capital One (COF) upgraded to outperform from market perform at FBR Capital.
• Airgas (ARG) upgraded to outperform from neutral at RW Baird.
• Broadcom (BRCM) upgraded to positive from neutral at Susquehanna.
• Lululemon (LULU) upgraded to hold from underperform at Jefferies.
• DryShips (DRYS) upgraded to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AVB, BRCM, COF, DRYS, IFF, LULU, NSM, OII, OSG, PG ...

Analyst Calls: AVB, BRCM, COF, DRYS, IFF, LULU, NSM, OII, OSG, PG ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Credit Suisse views Bank of America (BAC) as the "cheapest" large-cap bank and said the recent TARP repayment removes a significant overhang. The firm upgraded shares to outperform from neutral and raised its target to $21 from $17.
• Piper Jaffray upgraded Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) to neutral from underweight following the company's better-than-expected Q3 results. The firm has a $43 price target on the stock.
• Caris upgraded Zumiez (ZUMZ) to above average from average following the company's better-than-expected December sales report. The firm raised its target on shares to $17 from $14.
• Humana (HUM) was upgraded to equal weight from underweight at Barclays.
• Zimmer (ZMH) was upgraded to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Applied Industrial (AIT) was upgraded to buy from hold at KeyBanc.

Continue reading Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades and Initiations: AA, AET, BAC, BBBY, MA, RAI, VZ ...

Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades and Initiations: AA, AET, BAC, BBBY, MA, RAI, VZ ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Oppenheimer upgraded Momenta Pharmaceuticals (MNTA) to outperform from perform as it finds the stock attractive ahead of FDA's decision on M-enoxaparin. The firm has a $15 price target on the stock.
• Wells Fargo upgraded Symmetry Medical (SMA) to market perform from underperform. The firm cited several factors for the upgrade, including valuation and its belief that Symmetry's customers have begun to deplete their inventories.
• Piper Jaffray upgraded Myriad Pharmaceuticals (MYRX) to neutral from underweight after the company announced Phase 2a date for Azixa. The firm has a $5 price target on shares.
• AvalonBay (AVB) and Mid-America Apartment (MAA) were upgraded to outperform from sector perform at RBC Capital.
• GSI Commerce (GSIC) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.
• FICO (FICO) was upgraded to equal weight from Underweight at Stephens.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: CVS, FICO, HOTT, INTC, MNTA, TXN ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: CVS, FICO, HOTT, INTC, MNTA, TXN ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

From TheStreet.com Network

• Banking on Earnings: Coming Week
• Bulls Back Banks: TheStreet Says

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: It's a mistake to fade 'em now

Cramer on BloggingStocks: It's a mistake to fade 'em now originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Citigroup upgraded Sunoco Logistics (NYSE: SXL) to Buy from Hold on valuation and raised its target on shares to $60 from $56.50. The firm sees better value in Sunoco Logistics than Enbridge Energy Partners (NYSE: EEP), which it downgraded to Hold.
  
• BofA/Merrill believes Raytheon (NYSE: RTN) offers the most potential upside in the larget cap defense sector. The firm upgraded shares to Buy from Neutral and has a $62 target on the stock.
  
• Roth Capital upgraded Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) to Buy from Hold based on seasonality, multiple product cycles, and valuation. Roth's target remains $15.
• Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Societe Generale.
  
• EnerNOC (NASDAQ: ENOC) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at RW Baird.
  
• American Express (NYSE: AXP) was upgraded to Neutral from Underweight at JP Morgan.
  

Continue reading Analyst calls: RTN, NVDA, ORCL, AXP, MOT, PM, CSCO, QCOM, DRI ...

Analyst calls: RTN, NVDA, ORCL, AXP, MOT, PM, CSCO, QCOM, DRI ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 16 Jul 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Jefferies upgraded Check Point Software (NASDAQ: CHKP) to Buy from Hold as they believe the recently acquired Nokia security appliance business should drive 2009 revenue and EPS meaningfully higher. The firm raised their target price to $27 from $20.
  
• Goldman upgraded Motorola (NYSE: MOT) to Buy from Neutral and added shares to its Conviction Buy List. The firm expects shares to outperform even if phones don't given the overly negative value for the business.
  
• Research in Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) was upgraded to Outperform from Sector Perform at RBC Capital. The firm cites improving margin visibility and execution, and lowered expectations for the upgrade.
• Ares Capital (NASDAQ: ARCC) was upgraded to Neutral from Underweight at JP Morgan.
  
• Canadian Pacific (NYSE: CP) was raised at Canaccord to Buy from Hold.
  
• Lloyds TSB (NYSE: LYG) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at UBS.

• JP Morgan downgraded Venoco (NYSE: VQ) to Underweight from Overweight based on valuation and debt concerns.
  
• UBS downgraded MEMC Electronic (NYSE: WFR) to Neutral from Buy, added shares to the Short-Term Sell List and lowered their target to $14.50 from $20. The firm believes 2009 wafer sales will be much worse than expected.
  
• Deutsche Bank downgraded SINA (NASDAQ: SINA) to Hold from Buy to reflect integration risks from the recent acquisition of Focus Media's digital OOH assets as they see little room for near-term upside.
• Palm (NASDAQ: PALM) was lowered to Neutral from Overweight at JP Morgan.
  
• Polo Ralph Lauren (NYSE: RL) was cut to Sell from Neutral at Goldman.
  
• Telus (NYSE: TU) was downgraded at Banc of America/Merrill to Underperform from Neutral.

• Societe Generale believes HSBC (NYSE: HBC) will need to cut its dividend and raise additional capital in order to strengthen its capital base. Shares were initiated with a Sell rating.
  
• Citigroup initiated United Technologies (NYSE: UTX) with a Hold rating and $55 target. The firm sees downside risk to the company's guidance and believes consensus estimates could be too high.
  
• B. Riley assumed Matrixx Initiatives (NASDAQ: MTXX) with a Buy rating and $22 target. The firm finds shares attractively valued and sees limited downside risk from current levels.
• ASML Holding (NASDAQ: ASML) was initiated at Deutsche Bank with a Hold rating.

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: CHKP, MOT, RIMM, PALM, RL, HBC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 20 Jan 2009 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The new earnings season ramps up this week as Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA) reports fourth-quarter results. Last week, the Pittsburgh-based producer of aluminum and alumina announced layoffs and production cuts as a reaction to the economic downturn. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect that Alcoa will have swung to its first quarterly loss in years: $0.10 per share. That compares to a profit of $0.36 per share in the same period of the previous year. Revenues for the quarter are expected to have fallen 28.8% from a year ago to $5.3 billion. For 2008, analysts are looking for earnings of $1.40 per share on revenue of $27.6 billion, down from $2.60 per share and $30.8 billion in the previous year. Alcoa missed earnings estimates in three of the past five quarters, by 25.4% in the third quarter. The consensus recommendation of analysts shifted from buy to hold AA during the past quarter. The share price has been climbing in recent weeks, but it is 65.6% lower than a year ago.

Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) is also scheduled to report fourth-quarter results this week, one of a handful of tech stocks to do so. The number one semiconductor maker is expected to post earnings down 86.8% to $0.05 per share, and sales of $8.2 billion, down 23.3% from a year ago. Last week, Intel forecast sales for the quarter of $8.2 billion. The full-year numbers are expected to be marginally lower than a year ago, or $0.94 per share on $37.7 billion. Intel only missed earnings estimates in one of the past five quarters. Shares are about $2.00 higher than the 52-week low, but 37.2% lower than a year ago.

Continue reading The week in preview: Alcoa, Intel kick off new earnings season

The week in preview: Alcoa, Intel kick off new earnings season originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 11 Jan 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Jefferies upgraded shares of Alkermes (NASDAQ: ALKS) to Overweight from Neutral on valuation, as they believe the current share price undervalues Risperdal Consta and provides little to no value for other pipeline drugs.
  
• JP Morgan upgraded ASML Holding (NASDAQ: ASML) to Buy from Hold following the company's Q1 results, as they believe further estimate reductions are unlikely.
  
• UBS expects ITT Educational (NYSE: ESI) to benefit from strong enrollment growth and they see less private student lending risk. Shares were upgraded to Buy from Neutral.
• BMC Software (NYSE: BMC) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Goldman and added to the firm's Conviction Buy List.
  
• Credit Suisse (NYSE: CS) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Merrill Lynch.
  
• Covance (NYSE: CVD) was raised to Overweight from Equal Weight at First Analysis.

• UBS downgraded Anglo American (NASDAQ: AAUK) to Neutral from Buy and added shares to its Short-term Sell list citing the significant reduction in 2009 coal prices and estimates.
  
• Friedman Billings cut Century Aluminum (NASDAQ: CENX) to Market Perform from Outperform and lowered its target to $8 from $18 shares to reflect a lowered aluminum price forecast and financing concerns.
  
• Bernstein downgraded eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY) and Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) to Market Perform from Outperform citing recent share performances and the difficult macro environment.
• CommVault (NASDAQ: CVLT) was downgraded to Sell from Neutral at Goldman and added to the Conviction Buy List.
  
• TomoTherapy (NASDAQ: TOMO) was cut to Market Perform from Outperform at William Blair.
  
• Boston Properties (NYSE: BXP) was lowered to Neutral from Buy at UBS.

• Morgan Keegan initiated Brinker (NYSE: EAT) with a Market Perform citing the difficult macro economy, relative debt levels and the competitive environment.
  
• Brookdale Senior Living (NYSE: BKD) was initiated at Oppenheimer with an Outperform rating and $12 target. The firm expects the company to benefit from growing demand for higher acuity assisted living.
  
• Baird initiated Healthcare Realty (NYSE: HR) with an Underperform rating and $19 target citing the company's premium valuation vs. the group.
• UBS initiated Expedia (NASDAQ: EXPE), Priceline (NASDAQ: PCLN), and Orbitz Worldwide (NYSE: OWW) with Neutral ratings citing the difficult near-term demand environment.
  
• FedEx (NYSE: FDX) was started at Jesup & Lamont with a Hold rating.

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ALKS, CS, EBAY, AMZN, EXPE, FDX ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Premiere Global (NYSE: PGI) to Outperform from Perform on valuation and believes the company's strategic initiatives will drive "healthy" top-line results in a difficult economy.
  
• Citigroup upgraded Prudential (NYSE: PRU) to Buy from Hold on valuation, as they believe the stock is oversold at current levels. Though upgraded, the firm lowered their target price to $30 from $80.
  
• Citigroup also upgraded Bankrate (NASDAQ: RATE) to Buy from Hold as they believe the company will benefit from the financial market volatility and that the risk/reward is attractive at current levels. The firm maintains a $40 target on the stock.
• Hospitality Properties (NYSE: HPT) was raised to Outperform from Sector Perform at RBC Capital.
  
• Diamond Offshore (NYSE: DO) was upgraded at Merrill Lynch to Buy from Neutral.
  
• Alcon (NYSE: ACL) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Wachovia.

Continue reading Analyst calls: PRU, RATE, ACL, LTD, STM, SNP, NFLX, RTP, BHP, OXY ...

Analyst calls: PRU, RATE, ACL, LTD, STM, SNP, NFLX, RTP, BHP, OXY ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 01 Dec 2008 12:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Deutsche Bank.
• Fortress (NYSE: FIG) was upgraded at Citigroup to Hold from Sell.
• Prudential (NYSE: PUK) was lifted to Overweight from Neutral at JP Morgan.
• Keefe Bruyette upgraded Franklin Resources (NYSE: BEN) to Outperform from Market Perform and added shares to their Best Ideas List on valuation as they see an attractive risk/reward at current levels.
• UBS upgraded ASML Holding (NASDAQ: ASML) to Buy from Neutral on valuation as they believe the company remains a market leader.
• Oppenheimer raised Seattle Genetics (NASDAQ: SGEN) to Outperform from Perform on valuation following the recent weakness as they expect positive clinical news flow beginning in December.

• UBS downgraded U.S. Steel (NYSE: X) to Sell from Buy and lowered its target to $30 from $60 citing deteriorating U.S. conditions and concerns about the company's high fixed costs in a falling steel price environment.
• Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS.A) was downgraded to Underperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse.
  
• China Unicom (NYSE: CHU) was lowered to Underweight from Neutral at JP Morgan.

Continue reading Analyst calls: PEP, FIG, PUK, BEN, ASML, X, RDS.A, CHU, SVR ...

Analyst calls: PEP, FIG, PUK, BEN, ASML, X, RDS.A, CHU, SVR ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 27 Oct 2008 10:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Keefe Bruyette upgraded shares of Colonial Bancgroup (NYSE: CNB) to Outperform from Market Perform on valuation following the recent weakness and believes the company will be eligible to receive TARP funds. Morgan Stanley believes the company's valuation adequately reflects risk to the loan portfolio; the firm raised shares to Equal Weight from Underweight.
• Merrill upgraded Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) and ASML Holding (NASDAQ: ASML) to Buy from Underperform and believes their valuation reflects the worst-case for bad news.
• Oppenheimer upgraded Trimble Navigation to Outperform from Perform on valuation as they believe the company's long-term growth story is intact.
• Celestica (NYSE: CLS) was upgraded to Sector Outperformer from Sector Performer at CIBC.
• KeyCorp (NYSE: KEY) was added to Goldman's Conviction Buy List.
• Wachovia raised EastGroup Properties (NYSE: EGP) to Outperform from Market Perform.

• UBS cut Barclays (NYSE: BCS) to Neutral from Buy as they believe capital raises could negatively impact earnings and that the dividend is likely to be cut.
• JP Morgan downgraded Discovery Holdings (NASDAQ: DISCA) to Underweight from Neutral based on valuation and the deteriorating economic outlook.
• Friedman Billings downgraded shares of Janus Capital (NYSE: JNS) to Underperform from Market Perform and lowered its target to $7 from $23 as they see further risk to the downside following the company's weaker-than-expected results.
• LKQ Corp (NASDAQ: LKQX) was cut to Sector Perform from Outperform at RBC Capital.
• Affymetrix (NASDAQ: AFFX) was lowered to Sell from Hold at Deutsche Bank.
• RightNow Tech (NASDAQ: RNOW) was downgraded at Baird to Neutral from Outperform.

Continue reading Analyst calls: CNB, ERIC, ASML, TRMB, BCS, DISCA, JNS, RGEN, GPS and NTY

Analyst calls: CNB, ERIC, ASML, TRMB, BCS, DISCA, JNS, RGEN, GPS and NTY originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 24 Oct 2008 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Goldman upgraded shares of British Sky Broadcasting (NYSE: BSY) to Buy from Neutral and added the company to the Conviction Buy List as they find the stock oversold at current levels.
  
• Goldman also added Publicis (OTC: PUBGY) to the Conviction Buy List and upgraded shares to Buy from Neutral as they find the stock cheap at current levels.
• Oneok (NYSE: OKE) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Lehman.
  
• UBS raised Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods (NYSE: WBD) to Buy from Neutral.

Analyst downgrades:

• Baird downgraded Amylin Pharma (NASDAQ: AMLN) to Neutral from Outperform and said they are incrementally more cautious on the commercial performance of Amylin's Byetta following the yesterday's update. Amylin's target was lowered to $27 from $37. Soleil recommends investors avoid Amylin with the disclosure last night of four additional cases of mortality associated with pancreatitis in patients who were on Byetta. The firm cut shares to Sell from Hold and lowered their target to $20 from $25.
  
• Citigroup downgraded shares of AMR Corp. (NYSE: AMR) to Sell from Hold on valuation as they find the stock expensive following the recent run-up. The firm raised their target to $9 from $6.70 to reflect the drop in crude prices.
  
• J Crew (NYSE: JCG) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Brean Murray following the weak Q2 report and guidance.
• JMP Securities downgraded Quality Systems (NASDAQ: QSII) to Market Perform from Outperform.
  
• National Grid (NYSE: NGG) was lowered to Equal Weight from Overweight at Lehman.

Analyst initiations:

Continue reading Analyst calls: AMR, JCG, AMLN, NGG . . .

Analyst calls: AMR, JCG, AMLN, NGG . . . originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Veraz , Cisco Systems and tw telecom were today's noteworthy downgrades:

• Jefferies downgraded shares of Veraz (NASDAQ: VRAZ) to Underperform from Hold after the company pre-announced a Q2 miss, as they are concerned about the company's ability to execute a turnaround. Jefferies lowered their target to 85c from $2.50.
  
• Credit Suisse cut Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) to Neutral from Outperform as they believe carriers may reduce spending given the slowing economic growth. Credit Suisse lowered their target price to $24 from $31.
  
• JP Morgan downgraded tw telecom (NASDAQ: TWTC) to Underweight from Overweight on concerns enterprise trends will continue to deteriorate.

OTHER DOWNGRADES:

• Eaton (NYSE: ETN) and Altra Holdings (NASDAQ: AIMC) were lowered to Neutral from Buy at Merrill Lynch.
  
• ASML Holdings (NASDAQ: ASML) was downgraded to Reduce from Hold at Petercam.
  
• Informatica (NASDAQ: INFA) was cut at Piper to Neutral from Buy.
  
• Lev Pharmaceutials (OTC: LEVP) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Jefferies.

Analyst downgrades: VRAZ, CSCO and TWTC originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Baird upgraded Puget Energy (NYSE: PSD) to Outperform from Neutral citing valuation on a stand-alone basis and sees additional upside if the merger with Macquarie is approved this fall.
  
• Piper upgraded shares of RC2 Corp (NASDAQ: RCRC) to Buy from Neutral following the Children's Publishing Division acquisition as they view it as a good strategic fit and find RCRC shares attractively valued.
  
• RBC upgraded Marvel Entertainment (NYSE: MVL) shares to Outperform from Sector Perform to reflect the company's visible earnings growth and valuation.

• ASML Holdings (NASDAQ: ASML) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Goldman. The firm also added shares to the Conviction Buy List.
  
• Invitrogen (NASDAQ: IVGN) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at JP Morgan.
  
• Citigroup upgraded Clearwire (NASDAQ: CLWR) and Credence (NASDAQ: CMOS) to Hold from Sell.

Analyst upgrades: PSD, RCRC and MVL originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 24 Jun 2008 11:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

UPS (NYSE:UPS) is down about 5% after reporting a cut in earnings forecasts.

ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) is up 4% on an upgrade from Goldman.

Cooper Tire (NASDAQ:CTB) is off almost 4% after it cut North American production on lower demand.

Blackstone (NYSE:BX) is off 3% after it filed for the sale of over 800 million shares.

Stocks may trade differently in the pre-market than they do in the regular session.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

Pre-market movers (UPS) (BX) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 24 Jun 2008 07:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Royal Caribbean (NYSE: RCL) to Equal Weight from Overweight to reflect margin concerns due to the high oil prices and lowered their target to $37 from $40. However, the firm maintains an Overweight rating on rival Carnival (NYSE: CCL).
  
• Baird downgraded Alkermes (NASDAQ: ALKS) to Neutral from Outperform following the company's reduced Risperdal Consta guidance. The firm does not recommend buying shares.
  
• UBS cut ASML Holdings (NASDAQ: ASML) to Neutral from Buy to reflect order uncertainty heading into 2009.

• U.S. Airways (NYSE: LCC) was cut at Credit Suisse to Underperform from Outperform.
  
• Goldman downgraded Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ: CAKE) to Neutral from Buy.
  
• Nordson (NASDAQ: NDSN) was lowered to Hold from Buy at Jefferies.

Analyst downgrades: RCL, ALKS and ASML originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 23 May 2008 11:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Jefferies upgraded shares of Venoco (NYSE:VQ) to Buy from Hold on increased confidence in the company's 5%-10% 2008 production growth target.
  
• Newfield Exploration (NYSE:NFX) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Friedman Billings. The firm said there has been significant progress in the economics of NFX's Woodford play.
  
• Citigroup upgraded Regions Financial (NYSE:RF) to Hold from Sell on valuation, as they their concerns are now priced into shares.

• ASML Holdings (NASDAQ:ASML) was raised at Merrill to Buy from Neutral.
  
• UBS upgraded Forest Oil (NYSE:FST) to Buy from Neutral.
  
• Bear upgraded Gaylord Entertainment (NYSE:GET) to Outperform from Peer Perform.

Analyst upgrades: VQ, NFX and RF originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Deutsche Bank downgraded shares of Riverbed Technology (NASDAQ: RVBD) to Hold from Buy after it negatively preannounced to reflect economic conditions and the company's lack of visibility.
  
• Credit Suisse said shares of Sirius Satellite (NASDAQ: SIRI) are trading near fair value and that shares will probably trade in a range between mid-$2s to $3 in 2008. Shares were downgraded to Neutral from Outperform.
  
• JP Morgan lowered ASML Holdings (NASDAQ: ASML) to Neutral from Overweight as they believe chip manufacturing equipment orders are suffering from the weak DRAM memory market.

• Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) was cut at Goldman to Neutral from Buy.
  
• Tesco PLC (OTC: TSCDY) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Societe Generale.
• RBC Capital cut Radware (NASDAQ: RDWR) to Sector Perform from Outperform.

Analyst downgrades: RVBD, SIRI and ASML originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 04 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) is creating shareholder value by selling 1600 under-performing restaurants and using the money for share buyback programs and dividends and was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Matrix.

• AG Edwards upgraded Micron (NYSE: MU) to Buy from Hold on the belief notebook unit growth could stay in the 25-30% YoY range over the next two quarters, while desktop growth could pick up from the 4% attained in the June quarter. Up from a low of close to $5 in February, NAND spot prices are in the $8-$9 range for an 8Gb chip over the last few weeks.

• ManPower (NYSE: MAN) was upgraded to Strong Buy from Hold at Matrix based on the growing demand for search services in Europe, Africa and North America.

• Friedman Billings upgraded shares of ASML Holding (NASDAQ: ASML) to Outperform from Market Perform and added them to their Top Picks list based on recent checks that indicate a sustainable recovery in lithography tool bookings beyond Q3.

• Bear upgraded shares of Wrigley (NYSE: WWY) to Peer Perform from Underperform citing the better-then-expected response to competitor Cadbury (CSG), UK momentum in developing markets, and likely strong performance by new gum, "5."

• Calyon raised Capital One (NYSE: COF) to Buy from Add.

• Goldman raised Darden Restaurants (NYSE: DRI) to Buy from Neutral.

• Lehman upgraded National Semiconductor (NYSE: NSM) to Overweight from Equal Weight.

Analyst upgrades: COF, DRI, MCD and WWY originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 21 Aug 2007 10:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.