Analyst upgrades:

• Keefe Bruyette upgraded Popular (NASDAQ: BPOP) to Outperform from Market Perform as it believes the issuance of new common stock in exchange for outstanding preferred and trust preferred stock is a net positive. The firm has a $3.50 target on the stock.
• Merriman upgraded Super Micro Computer (NASDAQ: SMCI) to Buy from Neutral as if finds the currrent valuation compelling and believes the company should directly benefit from improving IT budgets. The firm thinks fair value is in the $9.11-$11.13 range.
• Kaufman Bros. upgraded Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) to Buy from Hold after its proprietary survey indicated the company is well positioned longer term. The firm finds the valuation on shares attractive at current levels and raised its target price to $53 from $48.
• Taleo (NASDAQ: TLEO) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Janney Montgomery.
• Boardwalk Pipeline (BWP) was upgraded to Neutral from Underperform at BofA/Merrill.
• Lloyds Banking (NYSE: LYG) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at RBS.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AA, CI, DIS, GPS, NFLX ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AA, CI, DIS, GPS, NFLX ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Baird upgraded WinTrust (NASDAQ: WTFC) to Neutral from Underperform and raised its target to $20 from $13 citing the accretive purchase of AIG (NYSE: AIG) loans and reduced risk of a capital raise.
• Piper Jaffray upgraded Coach (NYSE: COH) to Overweight from Neutral on expectations product sell-throughs and margin trends will improve in the coming quarters. The firm has a $32 target on the stock.
• RBC Capital upgraded Campbell Soup (NYSE: CPB) to Sector Perform from Underperform and raised its target to $33 from $29. The firm cites Campbell's recent innovation, easy volume comps, and "reasonable" consensus estimates for its upgrade.
• Tata Motors (NYSE: TTM) was upgraded to Equal Weight from Underweight at Morgan Stanley.
• Rockwell Automation (NYSE: ROK) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ: FITB) was upgraded to Conviction Buy from Buy at Goldman.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AFL, COH, CPB, DOW, MS, TTM ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AFL, COH, CPB, DOW, MS, TTM ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you plan on liquidating any profitable, or taxable, positions in the stock market thanks to the current uptrend and also want to give to your favorite charity, the strategy outlined below is key to optimizing your gift, as well as your capital.

Though giving cash to causes is the most popular form of charity, desperate times call for creative measures, and any type of gift will be gladly accepted. By giving stock directly to charity, and bear in mind that the stock must be in your portfolio for one year or more as short-term capital gains are not applicable, you not only avoid capital gains taxes on your gains, but you can actually use the gift of your stock as a tax deduction. Hence, the cost of your gift is lower than giving cash directly. Think of it as an overall investment for yourself and the charity.

Continue reading Save money, give stock to charity!

Save money, give stock to charity! originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

BioDelivery Sciences International Inc. (NASDAQ: BDSI) is bouncing higher today as investors anticipate FDA approval for its cancer pain drug. In a press release, the company said that it has reached an agreement with the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and a review team on all aspects of the new drug application (NDA) for ONSOLIS. The regulatory agency informed BDSI that it "will not be issuing a review extension letter, as their action on the NDA is forthcoming."

"Although we cannot pinpoint the exact timing of when the FDA's action might occur, we have previously indicated that we expect a first half 2009 approval of the NDA for ONSOLIS. Based on our discussion with FDA last Friday, we should be within a few weeks of that target," explained Dr. Mark Sirgo, BDSI's president and CEO.

Continue reading BioDelivery Sciences International bolts higher on pending FDA approval

BioDelivery Sciences International bolts higher on pending FDA approval originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 15 Jun 2009 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.