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

• Amgen (AMGN) to overweight from neutral at Piper Jaffray.
• Goodrich Petroleum (GDP) to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo.
• Tutor Perini (TPC) to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Covidien (COV) to buy from neutral at Goldman.
• Sara Lee (SLE) and Comcast (CMCSA) to outperform from market perform at Bernstein.
• Research In Motion (RIMM) to outperform from sector perform at FBN Securities.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AMGN, CMCSA, GDP, FAST, FLR, KBR, PGR, RIMM, SLE, WAG ...

Analyst Calls: AMGN, CMCSA, GDP, FAST, FLR, KBR, PGR, RIMM, SLE, WAG ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• HSBC upgraded Massey Energy (MEE) to overweight from neutral based on improved 2011 pricing power given industry supply-side discipline. Despite the upgrade, the firm cuts its price target to $40 from $54.
• Needham upgraded Blue Coat Systems (BCSI) to buy from hold following yesterday's announcement that Michael J. Borman has been named the new CEO. The firm has a $27 price target on the stock.
• Citigroup upgraded Teekay Offshore Partners (TOO) to buy from hold after the company announced shuttle tanker contracts to reflect improved operating performance. The firm raised its target for shares to $26 from $15.
• Prosperity Bancshares (PRSP) was upgraded to equal weight from underweight at Morgan Stanley.
• Ceradyne (CRDN) was upgraded to buy from hold at Benchmark Co.
• CTC Media (CTCM) was upgraded to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AAPL, BCSI, CIT, MEE, POT, RIMM, SAN, SKS, TOO ...

Analyst Calls: AAPL, BCSI, CIT, MEE, POT, RIMM, SAN, SKS, TOO ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Wunderlich upgraded Inergy (NRGY) to buy from hold on valuation after the stock sold off following the proposed merger with Inergy Holdings (NRGP). The firm raised its target for shares to $46 from $40.
• Soleil upgraded Applied Industrial (AIT) to buy from gradually accumulate following the company's better-than-expected Q4 results and raised its target for shares to $42 from $36.
• Citigroup upgraded Starwood Property (STWD) to buy from hold with a $21 price target, citing a pick-up in CRE loan sales.
• Family Dollar (FDO) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• Intercontinental Hotels (IHG) was upgraded to buy from sell at Societe Generale.
• Yucheng Technologies (YTEC) was upgraded to buy from hold at Roth Capital.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AIT, BWC, CRK, ECT, FDO, NRGY, STWD, TSCO ...

Analyst Calls: AIT, BWC, CRK, ECT, FDO, NRGY, STWD, TSCO ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Thomas Weisel upgraded Deckers Outdoor (DECK) to overweight from market weight following channel checks. The firm also raised its target for shares to $170 from $162.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded Amerigroup (AGP) to buy from hold as it believes the company is well positioned to benefit from health care reform. The firm upped its target for shares to $42 from $38.
• Cowen upgraded Cubist Pharmaceuticals (CBST) to outperform from neutral, citing increased conviction in Cubicin's patent exclusivity.
• OmniVision (OVTI) was upgraded to strong buy from buy at Needham.
• Take-Two (TTWO) was upgraded to buy from hold at ThinkEquity.
• Wells Fargo (WFC) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Sterne Agee.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AGP, BCSI, CL, DECK, PG, MON, RHT, RY, TTWO, WFC ...

Analyst Calls: AGP, BCSI, CL, DECK, PG, MON, RHT, RY, TTWO, WFC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 28 May 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• RBC Capital upgraded Suncor (SU) to outperform from sector perform following the Q1 report and FY10 production guidance. The firm has a $46 target on the stock.
• Wells Fargo upgraded Clear Channel Outdoor (CCO) to outperform from market perform. The firm expects the company to report higher-than-expected Q1 revenue and guidance, as it thinks a late cycle ad recovery is occurring.
• Piper Jaffray upgraded Power Integrations (POWI) to overweight from neutral following the company's Q1 results and subsequent sell-off. The firm has a $43 price target for shares.
• ArcelorMittal (MT) was upgraded to buy from hold at ING Group.
• Sapient (SAPE) was raised to conviction buy from buy at Goldman and to buy from hold at Citigroup.
• Powerwave (PWAV) was upgraded to buy from hold at Befferies and to buy from neutral at Merriman.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ACN, CCO, CLX, EHTH, HAS, HOLX, MT, POWI, SON, SU ...

Analyst Calls: ACN, CCO, CLX, EHTH, HAS, HOLX, MT, POWI, SON, SU ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 04 May 2010 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The editor of The Options Advisor explains, "In the tech sector, we recommend calls on software company Blue Coat Systems (BCSI) while also recommend buying puts on Internet security firm McAffee (MFE).

Continue reading Bernie Schaeffer: Puts and Calls in Technology

Bernie Schaeffer: Puts and Calls in Technology originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This post is part of a special report, Top Picks for 2010, the 27th annual survey in which TheStockAdvisors.com asks the nation's leading advisors for their single favorite stock for the new year. See all 80 stocks listed here.

"My pick for 2010 is Blue Coat Systems (BCSI), a company that provides web security," says Leo Fasciocco, a leading technical analyst known for his focus on stocks that are breaking out of basing patterns.

In his The Ticker Tape Digest, he explains, "We consider the stock an excellent intermediate-term play because of its strong profit outlook."

Continue reading Top Picks for 2010: Blue Coat (BCSI)

Top Picks for 2010: Blue Coat (BCSI) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 09 Jan 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Goldman upgraded Potash (POT) to conviction buy from buy and said a "near-worst-case" scenario on 2010 potash pricing is reflected in potash valuations and that they continue to expect a fundamental potash demand recovery in 2010. Note that the firm also upgraded Mosaic (MOS) to buy from neutral. Potash's price target is $138.
• Morgan Stanley upgraded Alcoa (AA) to overweight from equal weight based on expectations for alumina to continue to rally in 2H10. The firm has a $22 target on the stock.
• Baird upgraded Seagate (STX) to outperform from neutral and raised its target to $25 from $22 based on expectations that IT hardware spend will continue to accelerate through 2010, HDD supply conditions will continue to be constrained at least into the March quarter, and that enterprise strength and favorable supply conditions will drive shares higher in 2010.
• Intel (INTC) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• Resource Capital (RSO) was raised to outperform from market perform at FBR Capital.
• Palm (PALM) was upgraded to hold from sell at Morgan Joseph.

Continue reading Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades and Initiations: AA, D, H, INTC, NOK, PALM, POT, STX, V ...

Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades and Initiations: AA, D, H, INTC, NOK, PALM, POT, STX, V ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Keefe Bruyette upgraded Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) to Outperform from Market Perform due to valuation and the company's better balance sheet following capital raises. The firm raised its target on shares to $16.50.
  
• Merriman upgraded Blue Coat Systems (NASDAQ:BCSI) to Buy from Neutral to reflect stabilizing demand and merger synergies from the Packeteer acquisition.
  
• Thomas Weisel upgraded Genomic Health (NASDAQ:GHDX) to Overweight from Market Weight based on valuation, a new colon cancer assay expected in 2010, and upside from new sales hires.
• Plexus (NASDAQ:PLXS) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Baird.
  
• Great Plains Energy (NYSE:GXP) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Goldman.
  
• Ericsson (nASDAQ:ERIC) was upgraded at Societe Generale to Buy from Hold.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: BAC, ERIC, UNH, WRC

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: BAC, ERIC, UNH, WRC originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• JMP Securities upgraded Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM) to Outperform from Market Perform based on valuation.
  
• Goldman Sachs upgraded Chico's (NYSE: CHS) to Neutral from Sell based on valuation.
• Blue Coat (NASDAQ: BCSI) was raised to Hold from Sell by Brean Murray.

• UBS dropped Burger King (NYSE: BKC) to Neutral from Buy due to the company's slowing sales trends and commodity pressure.
  
• Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) was downgraded to Sell from Neutral by Banc of America based on valuation.
  
• Pacific Sunwear (NASDAQ: PSUN) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform by Baird, which cited the company's Q2 results and reduced guidance.

• UBS initiated O'Reilly (NASDAQ: ORLY) with a Buy because they are positive on its recent CSK Auto acquisition and its valuation.
  
• Baird started Amedisys (NASDAQ: AMED) with an Outperform because they view the recent pullback in the shares as a compelling entry point.

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 22 Aug 2008 11:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Deutsche Bank upgraded shares of Teva Pharmaceutical (NASDAQ: TEVA) to Buy from Hold to reflect the company's greater growth prospects following the acquisition of Barr (NYSE: BRL). The firm raised the target to $56 from $47.
  
• ThinkPanmure upgraded Blue Coat Systems (NASDAQ: BCSI) to Buy from Source of Funds based on the company's growth prospects following positive channel checks.
  
• American International Group (NYSE: AIG) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Banc of America on valuation, as they find the risk/reward attractive at current levels.

• Goldman upgraded the Semiconductor Production Equipment sector to Neutral from Cautious and added Verigy (NASDAQ: VRGY) to its Conviction Buy List.
  
• Morgan Stanley upgraded Whole Foods (NASDAQ: WFMI) and Cintas (NASDAQ: CTAS) to Equal Weight from Underweight.
  
• Gibraltar Industries (NASDAQ: ROCK) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Piper.

Analyst upgrades: TEVA, WFMI, CTAS, BCSI and AIG originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• JMP Securities said Monogram Biosciences (NASDAQ: MGRM) has a broad platform enabling it to develop multiple personalized medicine product offerings and has significant growth prospects from its HIV diagnostic business and its diagnostic test in oncology. Shares were initiated with an Outperform rating and $3.50 target.
  
• Jefferies assumed Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG) with a Buy rating and $11 target. The firm believes the current valuation does not reflect the company's turnaround, which they believe is gaining traction.
  
• Friedman Billings initiated Blue Coat Systems (NASDAQ: BCSI) with a Market Perform rating and $18 target. The firm prefers to wait on the sidelines given the near-term headwinds from a difficult spending environment in North America and integration risks from the Packeteer acquisition.

• American Capital (NASDAQ: AGNC) was initiated at Merrill with a Buy rating and at RBC Capital with an Outperform rating and $32 target.
  
• UBS assumed Quality Systems (NASDAQ: QSII) with a Buy rating and $39 target.
• HSBC initiated Daimler AG (NYSE: DAI) with an Overweight rating.

Analyst initiations: MGRM, IPG and BCSI originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Lehman downgraded AbitibiBowater (NYSE: ABH) to Equal Weight from Overweight citing dilution from the recent $350M convertible offering, cost pressures, and a more cautious outlook near-term for pulp markets.
  
• JP Morgan cut GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK) and AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN) to Underweight from Neutral on long-term earnings growth concerns.
  
• Keefe Bruyette lowered Capital One (NYSE: COF) to Underperform from Market Perform to reflect the company's credit outlook.

• Nokia (NYSE: NOK) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at UBS and to Underweight from Overweight at JP Morgan.
  
• Textron (NYSE: TXT) was cut at Credit Suisse to Neutral from Outperform.
  
• Merriman downgraded Blue Coat Systems (NASDAQ: BCSI) to Neutral from Buy.

Analyst downgrades: ABH, GSK, AZN and COF originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 18 Apr 2008 11:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Piper assumed coverage of Greatbatch (NYSE: GB) with a Neutral rating and $19.50 target as they believe acquisition-related expenses will weigh on near-term bottom-line results.
  
• Collins Stewart believes shares of Blue Coat Systems (NASDAQ: BCSI) are highly attractive at current levels. The firm started shares with a Buy rating and $29 target.

• Ultra Petroleum (NYSE: UPL) was initiated at Credit Suisse with an Outperform rating and $82 target.
  
• Lehman assumed Dana Holding (NYSE: DAN) with an Overweight rating and $15 target.

Analyst initiations: GB and BCSI originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 24 Mar 2008 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here are some highlights of this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Air France-KLM (NYSE: AKH) nearly doubled Q2 profits, and may make offers for some European rivals.
• Blue Coat Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: BCSI) beat expectations and raised its guidance.
• Deere & Co. (NYSE: DE) posted strong results and announced approval of a stock split.
• Freddie Mac (NYSE: FRE) reported a $2 billion loss for the third quarter.
• Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ) beat expectations for the eleventh straight quarter.
• Lowe's Cos. (NYSE: LOW) sales and profits declined due to the housing slump.
• Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN) easily beat estimates, signaling strength among luxury retailers.
• Office Depot Inc. (NYSE: ODP) beat estimates but lowered its Q4 outlook.
• Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT) fell short of expectations and announced a share buyback.
• Whole Foods Market Inc. (NASDAQ: WFMI) reported weak earnings but raised its dividend.

Douglas McIntyre ponders whether HP's results put pressure on Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) ahead of Dell's impending report, and he also examines Qualcomm Inc.'s (NASDAQ: QCOM) future earnings difficulties.

Upcoming results to watch for include: Dell Inc. and Sears Holdings (NASDAQ: SHLD).

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage.

Earnings highlights: HP, Freddie Mac, Deere, Target, and others originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 24 Nov 2007 08:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Blue Coat Systems seeing green originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 20 Nov 2007 18:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Societe Generale expects the Banco Santander's (NYSE: STD) strong organic growth in earnings to continue with the purchase of ABN Amro's (NYSE: ABN) assets in Brazil and Italy, starting shares off with a Buy rating. Shares were started at Merrill Lynch with a Neutral rating.
  
• William Blair initiated Solera Holdings (NYSE: SLH) with an Outperform rating, as they believe underlying trends for auto insurance claims are favorable.
  
• FTI Consulting (NYSE: FCN) was initiated at Deutsche Bank, as they believe the company is positioned to sustain double-digit growth, and with a Buy rating and $65 target and at Goldman with a Neutral rating and $62 target.
  
• Pacific Crest initiated Blue Coat Systems (NASDAQ: BCSI) with a Sector Perform rating on valuation and estimates fair value at $50/share.

• BNP Paribas started shares of China Netcom (NYSE: CN) and China Telecom (NYSE: CHA) with Buy ratings and China Mobile Limited (NYSE: CHL) with a Hold rating.
  
• Cosan Limited (NYSE: CZZ) was initiated with a Neutral rating at Goldman.
  
• Methanex Corporation (NASDAQ: MEOH) was started at HSBC with an Overweight rating.

Analyst initiations: STD, SLH, FCN and BCSI originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 15 Oct 2007 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The development of e-commerce has provided the business community with new and exciting ways to reach the consumer, but there are associated dangers. There is an outfit in Sunnyvale, California that secures Web communications and accelerates business applications across the distributed enterprise.

Blue Coat Systems (NASDAQ: BCSI) helps organizations make the Web safe and productive for business. Blue Coat proxy appliances provide control of Web communications to protect against risks and inefficiencies from spyware, Web viruses, inappropriate Web surfing, instant messaging, video streaming and peer-to-peer file sharing. Blue Coat has installed more than 40,000 appliances worldwide. Customers include the National Institutes of Health, Merck (NYSE: MRK) and the US Air Force. Cisco Systems is a (NASDAQ: CSCO) is a major competitor.

Continue reading Blue Coat Systems (BCSI): Guarding your e-business

Blue Coat Systems (BCSI): Guarding your e-business originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 30 Aug 2007 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In May and June, I wrote a series on what I think could be the top 25 stocks for the NEXT 25 years. It was a fun exercise and a lot of work. Since the series finished in mid-June, we've been knocked down from 25 stocks to 22 stocks: Opsware (NASDAQ: OPSW), Kyphon (NASDAQ: KYPH) and Color Kinetics (NASDAQ: CLRK) are all being acquired for significant premiums by obviously much larger companies.

We have another on our list that, although it's not being acquired, the stock has doubled in value these past 2 1/2 months. Blue Coat Systems (NASDAQ: BCSI) was written up on June 8. The stock was trading at $44, but it's now at $84.80. Blue Coat reported an absolutely explosive July quarter. Revenues came in at $62.4 million versus Street consensus of $58 million, representing a 71% year-over-year increase and a 15% up-sequentially from the April quarter.

The wide-area-network (WAN) optimization product set is gaining mainstream momentum. The even better news for Blue Coat Systems is that it is about to embark on an excellent new product cycle. The company saw bookings, pipeline and deferred revenues all go up substantially this past quarter and provide tremendous visibility going forward.

Continue reading Top 25 Stocks for the NEXT 25 Years: Blue Coat Systems (BCSI) -- update

Top 25 Stocks for the NEXT 25 Years: Blue Coat Systems (BCSI) -- update originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 28 Aug 2007 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.