Analyst Upgrades

• Bunge (BG) to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• Textron (TXT) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• CSX (CSX) to buy from neutral and Pulte Group (PHM) to conviction buy from neutral at Goldman.
• Aol (AOL) to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Kohlberg Capital (KCAP) to outperform from market perform at JMP Securities.
• Owens Corning (OC) to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Jefferies (JEF) to buy from neutral at Ticonderoga.
• Harris (HRS) to outperform from perform at Oppenheimer.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AOL, BG, CCL, CP, CSX, HRS, NE, OC, PHM, RIG, SBUX, TXT ...

Analyst Calls: AOL, BG, CCL, CP, CSX, HRS, NE, OC, PHM, RIG, SBUX, TXT ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Research In Motion (RIMM) to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• Citigroup (C) to buy from hold at ISI Group.
• Integrated Silicon (ISSI) to buy from hold at Auriga.
• Kinross Gold (KGC) to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: C, CHK, EBAY, KMB, MRK, NSRGY, PFE, RIMM, SNDA, VRA ...

Analyst Calls: C, CHK, EBAY, KMB, MRK, NSRGY, PFE, RIMM, SNDA, VRA ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Oppenheimer upgraded Hubbell (HUB.B) to outperform from perform to reflect the company's improving operations, margin expansion and valuation. The firm raised its target price on shares to $53 from $51.
• UBS upgraded Weingarten Realty (WRI) and Taubman Centers (TCO), Boston Properties (BXP), ProLogis (PLD) and AMB Property (AMB) to neutral from sell and SL Green Realty (SLG) to buy from neutral, citing the recent correction in the group.
• Benchmark Co. upgraded Time Warner (TWX) to buy from hold on expectations the company is positioned for steady, sustainable growth as advertising demand rebounds. The firm has a $35 price target on shares.
• Eastman Chemical (EMN) was upgraded to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Constellation Energy (CEG) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• Noble Corporation (NE) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at FBR Capital.

Continue reading Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades and Initiations: ADY, BXP, CYT, DNDN, LZ, ORCL, TWX ...

Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades and Initiations: ADY, BXP, CYT, DNDN, LZ, ORCL, TWX ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 01 Feb 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Citigroup upgraded Brightpoint (NASDAQ: CELL) to Buy from Hold on expectations global handset units will trough in 2009, leading to a higher multiple for the stock. Citi raised its target on shares to $9 from $6.50.
• FBR Capital upgraded Rosetta Resources (NASDAQ: ROSE) to Outperform from Market Perform on valuation and believes drilling results in Q3 and Q4 should serve as near-term catalysts. The firm raised its target on shares to $15.
• Piper Jaffray upgraded Echelon (NASDAQ: ELON) to Neutral from Underweight following the company's contract announcement with Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK). The firm raised its target on shares to $10 from $6.
• Smith & Nephew (NYSE: SNN) was upgraded to Equal Weight from Underweight at Morgan Stanley.
• Schawk (NYSE: SGK) was upgraded to Neutral from Underperform at Baird.
• Alpha Natural (NYSE: ANR) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at BMO Capital.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AMGN, KR, ROSE, SWY, YUM ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AMGN, KR, ROSE, SWY, YUM ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 11 Aug 2009 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

With a turn of the calendar page, we drift into the middle portion of the current quarter, but the earnings season rolls on. Among the many companies scheduled to report quarterly results this coming week are Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX), Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO), News Corp. (NYSE: NWS), and Whole Foods Market International (NASDAQ: WFMI). Let's take a look at which companies Wall Street analysts are expecting to be among the top earnings gainers and decliners this week.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial expect the following to report strong earnings growth when compared to the same period of the previous year.

• DRS Technologies Inc. (NYSE: DRS): $0.85 EPS (+95.3%) on revenue of $823.8 million (+12.0%)
• Integrys Energy Group Inc. (NYSE: TEG): $0.40 EPS (+70.0%) on revenue of $2.6 billion (+9.7%)
• Cimarex Energy Co. (NYSE: XEC): $2.53 EPS (+64.4%) on revenue of $599.9 million (+75.4%)
• Forest Oil Corp. (NYSE: FST): $1.51 EPS (+55.6%) on revenue of $456.1 million (+79.1%)
• Devon Energy Corp. (NYSE: DVN): $3.28 EPS (+48.5%) on revenue of $4.1 billion (+38.5%)
• CMS Energy Corp. (NYSE: CMS): $0.13 EPS (+46.2%) on revenue of $1.4 billion (+6.7%)
• Transocean Inc. (NYSE: RIG): $3.23 EPS (+43.0%) on revenue of $3.1 billion (+112.9%)
• Sara Lee Corp. (NYSE: SLE): $0.26 EPS (+38.5%) on revenue of $3.5 billion (+8.9%)
• Williams Companies Inc. (NYSE: WMB): $0.69 EPS (+37.7%) on revenue of $3.4 billion (+20.0%)
• Harris Corp. (NYSE: HRS): $0.99 EPS (+28.3%) on revenue of $1.4 billion (+18.0%)

Continue reading The week in preview: Expectations remain high for energy and oil

The week in preview: Expectations remain high for energy and oil originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 03 Aug 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"On the strength of two key acquisitions, Brightpoint (NASDAQ: CELL) has become the largest global distributor of wireless devices," says quantitative analyst Vahan Janjigian of Forbes Growth Investor.

"The acquisitons helped boost the number of wireless products handled in 2007 by 55% to 83 million. The company is also the leading provider of customized logistics services to the wireless industry.

"CELL purchases cell phones, batteries, chargers, and memory cards, and then sells them to a global network of 25,000 customers.

"The objective is to acquire distribution rights to products offering the greatest potential for growth. It sells brands made by LG Electronics, Nokia, Kyocera, Motorola, Samsung, Sony, Siemens, and Ericsson. This category produced 92% of total 2007 revenues, but it had a gross profit margin of just 4.24%.

Continue reading Brightpoint (CELL) shines for Forbes quant

Brightpoint (CELL) shines for Forbes quant originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 06 May 2008 11:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Friedman Brillings started Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO) at "outperform" with a $31 price target according to Briefing.com. The news service also reports that Credit Suisse downgraded Sirius (NASDAQ:SIRI) from "outperform" to "neutral".

Dell Inc. (NASDAQ:DELL) was cut to "neutral" from "buy" at Goldman Sachs according to 24/7 Wall St. The financial site also reports that Gap Inc (NYSE:GPS) was cut to "neutral" from "outperform" at Credit Suisse.

Douglas A. McIntyre

Early analyst calls (CSCO) (SIRI) (DELL) (GPS) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 04 Apr 2008 07:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Bernstein initiated global pharmaceutical stocks with a Cautious view. The firm initiated Merck & Co Inc (NYSE: MRK), Schering Plough Corporation (NYSE: SGP) and Wyeth (NYSE: WYE) with Outperform ratings, as well as Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) and Eli Lilly & Company (NYSE: LLY) with Market Perform ratings.
  
• CIBC resumed coverage of Rigel Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: RIGL) with a Sector Outperformer rating and $16 target. The firm expects near-term upside to be driven by positive phase 2 results of R788 in rheumatoid arthritis, expected in December, and thinks the company's strong scientific platform will support long-term appreciation.
  
• Bear Stearns started Brightpoint Incorporated (NASDAQ: CELL) with an Outperform rating and $20 target, as they are positive on Brightpoint's merger with Dangaard given the significant synergies and diversification it provides.

• Genitope Corporation (NASDAQ: GTOP) was initiated with a Neutral rating at Merriman.
  
• Grubb & Ellis Company (NYSE: GBE) was reinstated with an Outperform rating at William Blair.
  
• Roth Capital started Emcore Corporation (NASDAQ: EMKR) with a Buy rating and $13.80 target.
  
• Morgan Stanley started ING Groep NV (NYSE: ING) with an Equal Weight rating.

Analyst initiations: Pharmaceutical stocks, RIGL and CELL originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 24 Oct 2007 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Halozyme (NASDAQ: HALO) was initiated with a Buy rating and $14 target at Oppenheimer. The firm is positive on Halozyme's prospects for signing additional multi-product Enhanze deals in the next 12 months and the company's expanding internal pipeline.

• Oppenheimer also initiated shares of Rosetta Genomics (NASDAQ: ROSG) with a Buy rating and $11 target, as the firm is positive on Rosetta's intellectual property position in the emerging microRNA field related to the development and commercialization of research, diagnostic and therapeutic products, and other applications.

• Goldman Sachs resumed coverage of U.S. Steel Group (NYSE: X) with a Neutral rating.

• BioFuel Energy (NASDAQ: BIOF) was initiated with a Neutral rating at Cowen, as the firm sees a lack of catalysts until the company's plants under construction come on line in Q108...

• Brightpoint (NASDAQ: CELL) was initiated with an Outperform rating and $18 target at Credit Suisse.

• MasterCard (NYSE: MA) was initiated with a Market Perform rating at Wachovia on valuation.

• Citigroup initiated shares of Signature Bank (NASDAQ: SBNY) with a Buy rating and $39 target and shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) with a Sell rating and $24 target.

• Pacific Growth Equities started shares of Altair Nanotechnologies (NASDAQ: ALTI) with a Neutral rating.

Analyst initiations 7-24-07: CELL, DFS, MA and X originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 24 Jul 2007 11:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Cell phones wiping out bee populations: Will your mobile be the next SUV? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 16 Apr 2007 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Who ever heard of a backup generator being run indoors? All that diesel exhaust would be sure to suffocate someone, wouldn't it? You bet it would! Place a diesel fired backup generator in the basement of any hospital and you could be in for some serious respiratory troubles, not to mention the fact that the local Fire Marshall would probably have something to say about it . A recent report by Green Progress adds a whole new angle to this scenario.

Enter the next generation of backup power systems. Power Air Corporation (OTC:PWAC) has developed and holds many exclusive rights to Zinc Air indoor power generating systems. Revealed for the first time beyond the confines of nondisclosure agreements, a Zinc Air Fuel Cell (ZAFC) prototype generator was run indoors at Fuel Cell Expo 2007 in Tokyo, Japan, as a center stage demonstration and testament to the viability of the technology. A joint venture by Power Air Corp. and it's current Asian Joint Venture partner, H-Plus Eco Ltd, has brought Zinc Air Fuel Cell technology to the point where further investment and involvement is being solicited from additional prospective Asian venture capitalists and manufacturers.

Mr. Remy Kozak, President and CEO of Power Air states: "ZAFC based generators have the potential to revolutionize the back-up power industry " At present, ZAFC technology is mainly being considered as a constructive adjunct to current electrical generation systems. Although unable to determine a comparison of actual operating costs, I gained by inference that those costs shall, for the time being, restrict ZAFC technology to mainly backup status. Not to worry though, as you know new technologies have always languished in the background for a time before genuinely taking hold. However, given the ever tightening EPA air quality standards, ZAFC generators have the potential to move ahead somewhat faster than the average development curve.

It pleases me greatly to know that yet another potentially hydro carbon-free option has emerged. This could be just one more chink in big oil's armor. The gap is closing between those who have their thinking caps on and those who are just sitting on their big fat ... wallets. I'd put my money with the thinking cap gang any day. Those fat wallet folks stand a mighty good chance of seeing those wallets thinned a bit or else just falling off of them .

For backup power, now think zinc! originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 20 Feb 2007 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Cramer chats up Nokia: 'best' cell phones originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 24 Oct 2006 18:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Motorola one of the most trusted wireless brands in U.S. originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 23 Aug 2006 14:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MySpace goes mobile to compete with Google and Yahoo! originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 31 May 2006 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.