Analyst Upgrades

• Bristol-Myers (BMY) to hold from underperform at Jefferies.
• Pep Boys (PBY) to buy from hold at Stifel Nicolaus.
• Tesla Motors (TSLA) to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.
• Emerson (EMR) to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• ARM Holdings (ARMH) to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• NetLogic (NETL) and Cavium Networks (CAVM) to buy from hold at Auriga.
• Aimco (AIV) to hold from sell at Citigroup.
• Ceragon Networks (CRNT) to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: BMY, CAG, CAVM, CEPH, OPEN, PBY, SOL, TSLA, WDC ...

Analyst Calls: BMY, CAG, CAVM, CEPH, OPEN, PBY, SOL, TSLA, WDC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Target (TGT) overall option implied volatility of 24 is near its 26-week average, according to Track Data, suggesting non-directional term price movement.

Valeant Pharmaceuticals (VRX) announced it made a proposal to the Board of Directors of Cephalon (CEPH), to acquire Cephalon for $73.00 per share in cash. Cephalon overall option implied volatility of 25 is below its 26-week average of 30, according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price movement.

Update is by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com

Options Update: Target Volatility Flat; Shares Near 8-Month Low originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Philip Morris (PM) to conviction buy from buy at Goldman.
• Peet's Coffee (PEET) to neutral from sell at Janney Capital.
• Cephalon (CEPH) to equal weight from underweight at Morgan Stanley.
• StoneMor Partners (STON) to outperform from neutral at RW Baird.
• Tibco (TIBX) to buy from underperform at BofA/Merrill.
• Apollo Group (APOL) to outperform from market perform at BMO Capital.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: APOL, CEPH, DELL, GCI, GOLD, KSS, LEN, PEET, PM ...

Analyst Calls: APOL, CEPH, DELL, GCI, GOLD, KSS, LEN, PEET, PM ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• U.S. Steel (X) to buy from neutral and Barnes & Noble (BKS) to neutral from sell at Goldman.
• Salesforce.com (CRM) to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• Dollar Tree (DLTR) to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• Edison International (EIX) to hold from sell at Citigroup.
• Analog Devices (ADI) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ADI, BKS, CMG, CRM, DANG, DLTR, FDO, LLTC, NFLX, X ...

Analyst Calls: ADI, BKS, CMG, CRM, DANG, DLTR, FDO, LLTC, NFLX, X ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Interpublic Group (IPG) to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• Radware (RDWR) to outperform from perform at Oppenheimer.
• Fluor (FLR) and Waddell & Reed (WDR) to buy from hold, as well as AllianceBernstein (AB) to hold from sell, at Citigroup.
• MetroCorp (MCBI) and American Capital (AGNC) to outperform from market perform at Keefe Bruyette.
• International Flavors (IFF) to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• BioCryst (BCRX) and Southern Company (SO) to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Bunge (BG) to overweight from neutral at HSBC.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AB, BG, CMG, CSCO, DF, EXPE, JLL, MU, NLSN, S, SO ...

Analyst Calls: AB, BG, CMG, CSCO, DF, EXPE, JLL, MU, NLSN, S, SO ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• BB&T (BBT) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Janney Montgomery.
• Amylin (AMLN) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Leerink.
• Wells Fargo upgraded Morton's Restaurant (MRT) to outperform from market perform.
• Check Point (CHKP) was upgraded to overweight from neutral at HSBC.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded Excel Maritime (EXM) to buy from hold.
• JinkoSolar (JKS) was upgraded to buy from hold at Auriga.
• Piper Jaffray upgraded Compellent (CML) to overweight from neutral.
• BofA/Merrill upgraded Crane (CR) to buy from neutral.
• Goldman upgraded Wisconsin Energy (WEC) to conviction buy from buy and American Electric (AEP) to buy from neutral.
• Motorola (MOT) was upgraded due to increasing carrier support by MKM Partners.
• Under Armour (UA) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Sterne Agee.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ANF, BBT, COH, GPS, JCG, KKR, MOT, OSG, UA, UBS, WEC ...

Analyst Calls: ANF, BBT, COH, GPS, JCG, KKR, MOT, OSG, UA, UBS, WEC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Option traders appear to be setting up for a bullish move on TransDigm Group Incorporated (TDG). Traders plowed into 1,865 new call option contracts -- 84.77 times the average volume -- on the stock on Thursday. And we know that traders were eager to get into this trade because 96% of the trades came in on the ask price.

TransDigm has been hitting 52-week highs for a few days in a row now. The stock closed Thursday at $61.25, up 7.65% during the past month.

Continue reading Option Traders Buying TransDigm Calls and Avanir Pharmaceutical Puts

Option Traders Buying TransDigm Calls and Avanir Pharmaceutical Puts originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Cephalon Falls On Disappointing Full-Year Forecast

Cephalon Falls On Disappointing Full-Year Forecast originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here are some highlights from last week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Accenture Ltd. (NYSE: ACN) lower Q4 earnings met analysts' expectations but the Q1 outlook was weak.
• Cal-Maine Foods Inc. (NASDAQ: CALM) posted a Q1 net loss and said it will skip its dividend this quarter.
• Cephalon Inc. (NASDAQ: CEPH) earnings prospects for 2010 resulted in an analyst's downgrade.
• Darden Restaurants Inc. (NYSE: DRI) Q1 earnings beat by a penny but revenue fell short of estimates.
• Gannett Inc. (NYSE: GCI) shares rose after it forecast Q3 earnings above Wall Street estimates.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Nike, Walgreen, Jabil Circuit, Gannett, Darden ...

Earnings highlights: Nike, Walgreen, Jabil Circuit, Gannett, Darden ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 03 Oct 2009 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• UBS upgraded Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) to Buy from Neutral and raised its target to $265 from $170, citing higher iPhone expectations, new partnerships, and likely upward revisions to Street estimates driven by gross margins.
• Wells Fargo upgraded Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) to Outperform from Market Perform. The firm views a possible deal between end General Electric's (NYSE: GE) NBC Universal positively, as it thinks NBC will provide higher-margin growth for Comcast.
• Janney Montgomery upgraded Michael Baker (AMEX: BKR) to Buy from Neutral after the company completed the sale of its Energy business. The firm raised its target on shares to $46 from $40.
• Jefferies assumed coverage of Endo Pharma (NASDAQ: ENDP) and upgraded the stock to Buy from Hold. The firm cites valuation, a strong base business, and solid cash flow for the upgrade, and has a $30 target price on shares.
• Marten Transport (NASDAQ: MRTN) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Stephens.
• U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Keefe Bruyette.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AAPL, BAC, C, CMCSA, NOK, USB ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AAPL, BAC, C, CMCSA, NOK, USB ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 10:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Cephalon (CEPH) sees positive bipolar drug results

Cephalon (CEPH) sees positive bipolar drug results originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Happy Cinco de Mayo!
• Day one of the two-day FDA Anesthetic/Life Support Drugs & Drug Safety/Risk Management Advisory Committees meeting: Purdue Pharma's NDA for Oxycontin.
  
• Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE:APC) to report Q1 earnings; conference call Tuesday at 10:00am.

• Day two of the two-day FDA Anesthetic/Life Support Drugs & Drug Safety/Risk Mgmt Advisory Committees meeting: Cephalon's (NASDAQ:CEPH) sNDA for Fentora.
• Molson Coors (NYSE:TAP) to report Q1 earnings; conference call at 12:00pm.
• Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) to report Q2 earnings; conference call at 4:30pm.

• Marsh & McLennan (NYSE:MMC) to report Q1 earnings; conference call at 8:30am.
• Transocean (NYSE:RIG) to report Q1 earnings; conference call at 10:00am.
• Hot Topic (NASDAQ:HOTT) and Zumiez (NASDAQ:ZUMZ) to report April sales at 4:00pm.

• Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) to report April sales at 8:00am. Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF) to report sales at 8:15am. Target (NYSE:TGT) to report sales at 8:30am.
  
• NVidia (NADAQ:NVDA) to report Q1 earnings; conference call at 5:00pm.

• PDUFA date for Adolor Corp (NYSE:ADLR) and GlaxoSmithKline's (NYSE:GSK) Entereg for management of Post-operative Ileus.
• American International Group (NYSE:AIG) to report Q1 earnings; conference call at 8:30am.
• Sotheby's (NYSE:BID) to report Q1 earnings; conference call at 9:00am.

Market highlights for next week: April sales results coming out originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 02 May 2008 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Cephalon (CEPH) gets a boost from Millennium (MLNM) buyout originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Allscripts (NASDAQ: MDRX) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at JP Morgan following its weak Q3 results and guidance.
  
• Supertel Hospitality (NASDAQ: SPPR) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Baird and to Market Perform from Outperform at JMP Securities following its disappointing Q3 report.
  
• JMP securities downgraded Cephalon (NASDAQ: CEPH) to Market Outperform from Strong Buy citing uninspiring Q3 revenue growth.
  
• Friedman Billings downgraded Limelight Networks (NASDAQ: LLNW) to Market Perform from Outperform citing the tough pricing environment, competition, and upcoming IPO lockup expiration on 12/5.
  
• The firm also downgraded shares of Financial Federal (NYSE: FIF) to Underperform from Market Perform, as they expect the company to be impacted substantially from the slowing economy.

• JP Morgan removed Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE: JLL) and CB Richard Ellis (NYSE: CBG) from its Focus List.
  
• Deutsche Bank downgraded Home Diagnostics (NASDAQ: HDIX) to Hold from Buy.
  
• Finisar (NASDAQ: FNSR) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Jefferies.
  
• Banc of America downgraded RPM, Inc (NYSE: RPM) to Neutral from Buy.

Analyst downgrades: MDRX, SPPR, CEPH, LLNW and FIF originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 09 Nov 2007 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Cephalon's (CEPH) deadly side effect

Cephalon's (CEPH) deadly side effect originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY

• UBS downgraded TDK Corp. (NYSE: TDK) to Reduce from Neutral after the company's operating profit missed estimates.

• Deutsche Bank cut Maguire Properties (NYSE: MPG) to Sell from Hold following the company's disappointing Q2 report.

• Sandler cut BankAtlantic Bancorp (NYSE: BBX) to Sell from Hold on valuation.

• Valuation and debt levels pushed Unterberg to downgrade ON Semiconductor (NASDAQ: ONNN) to Market Perform from Buy.

• William Blair downgraded shares of Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) to Market Perform from Outperform as they believe the CMS decision on ESA reimbursement guidelines is extremely restrictive regarding Aranesp use in oncology...

• Lyondell Chemical Co (NYSE: LYO) was downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight.

• UBS cut FMC Technologies (NYSE: FTI) to Reduce from Neutral.

• Stanford downgraded MoSys (NASDAQ: MOSY) to Hold from Buy.

• Brean Murray downgraded SumTotal Systems (NASDAQ: SUMT) to Hold from Buy.

• Buckingham cut Cephalon (NASDAQ: CEPH) to Accumulate from Strong Buy.

Analyst downgrades 8-01-07: AMGN, CEPH, LYO and TDK originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 01 Aug 2007 11:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY

• The Bank of America initiated Shire plc (NASDAQ: SHPGY), Mentor Corp (NYSE: MNT), Alcon, Inc (NYSE: ACL) and Allergan, Inc (NYSE: AGN) with Buy ratings and initiated Cephalon, Inc (NASDAQ: CEPH), Forest Laboratories, Inc (NYSE: FRX), Sepracor Inc (NASDAQ: SEPR) with Neutral ratings. Bank of America's top pick is Shire plc as the firm expects the company to launch six products or product extensions by mid-2008, followed by Mentor Corp, as the conversion to silicone breast implants should drive a period of stronger-than-expected sales and earnings.

• Ford Motor Co (NYSE: F) was initiated at Buckingham with an Underperform rating and General Motors (GM) was started with a Neutral rating.

• Nollenberger believes Under Armour, Inc (NYSE: UA), started with a Buy rating, is positioned to outperform the market based on the strength of its brand name and demand through the continued introduction of new products along with European growth.

• Barr Pharmaceuticals, Inc (NYSE: BRL) was initiated with an Equal Weight rating and $53 target at Morgan Stanley.

Analyst initiations 4-05-07: Under Armour, Ford Motor & Cephalon initiated today originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 05 Apr 2007 11:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• UBS downgraded First Data Corp (NYSE: FDC) to Neutral from Buy following the acquisition by KKR.

• Pinnacle Entertainment (NYSE: PNK) was cut to Hold from Buy at Matrix USA, as the firm believes post-hurricane reconstruction efforts are leading to significant capital expenditures, which limits upside.

• Cephalon Inc (NASDAQ: CEPH) was removed from American Technology's Focus List with shares up 15% in three weeks as the approval of Nuvigil without a Black Box warning has passed.

• JP Morgan cut shares of Verint Systems (NASDAQ: VRNT) to Underweight from Neutral, citing risks and costs associated from the Witness Systems' (WITS) acquisition.

• Labor Ready, Inc (NYSE: LRW) was downgraded to Sell from Neutral at Goldman based on the slowdown in U.S. residential construction activity.

• Citigroup downgraded International Paper Co (NYSE: IP) to Hold from Buy with a $39 target.

• Bernstein cut MedImmune, Inc (NASDAQ: MEDI) to Market Perform from Outperform.

• Sanders Morris downgraded Dreamworks Animation SKG, Inc (NYSE: DWA) to Neutral from Buy on valuation.

• JP Morgan downgraded Icagen, Inc (NASDAQ: ICGN) to Neutral from Overweight.

• Friedman Billings cut CompuDyne Corp (NASDAQ: CDCY) to Market Perform from Outperform following Q4 results.

• Roth Capital cut LivePerson, Inc (NASDAQ: LPSN) to Sell from Hold.

Analyst downgrades 4-04-07: Cephalon, First Data & Dreamworks Animation downgraded today originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 04 Apr 2007 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Goldman Sachs upgraded Merrill Lynch & Co (NYSE: MER) to Buy from Neutral with a $107 target, believing the sell-off in Merrill shares is overdone.

• JP Morgan added Kraft Foods Inc (NYSE: KFT) to its Focus List with a $40 target, believing valuation reflects the overhang from Altria Group's (MO) share distribution.

• Prudential upgraded shares of US Steel Corp (NYSE: X) to Neutral from Underweight citing synergies from the Lone Star acquisition and the increase in scrap prices.

• Jefferies upgraded shares of Cephalon, Inc (NASDAQ: CEPH) to Buy from Hold and raised its target to $88 from $69 to reflect a favorable risk/reward profile and the imminent approval of Nuvigil following FDA approval of draft labeling for the drug.

• Bank of America upgraded Sonoco Products Co (NYSE: SON) to Buy from Neutral with a $44 target.

• Baird upgraded Micron Technology, Inc (NYSE: MU) to Outperform from Neutral.

• Credit Suisse upgraded PG&E Corp (NYSE: PCG) to Outperform from Neutral with a $53 target citing valuation.

• Matrix USA upgraded TJX Cos (NYSE: TJX) to Buy from Hold on relative valuation.

• William Blair upgraded Blue Nile, Inc (NASDAQ: NILE) to Outperform from Market Perform citing near-term fundamentals, improved long-term cash flow, long-term growth potential and downside protection.

• Kaufman Bros upgraded Avid Technology, Inc (NASDAQ: AVID) to Buy from Hold with a $40 target.

Analyst upgrades 4-02-07: Merrill Lynch, Kraft Foods & US Steel upgraded today originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 02 Apr 2007 10:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Nokia Corp (NYSE: NOK) to Buy from Hold citing increased emerging markets demand, valuation, and expectations for upcoming N76 and Barracuda.

• Oppenheimer also upgraded SanDisk Corp (NASDAQ: SNDK) to Buy from Neutral with a $50 target, as the firm believes the worst of seasonal price declines has occurred and that 2007 Samsung royalty revenues appear intact.

• Goldman Sachs upgraded shares of RealNetworks Inc (NASDAQ: RNWK) to Neutral from Sell, citing valuation.

• Vertex Pharma Inc (NASDAQ: VRTX) was upgraded to Neutral from Sell at Bank of America, citing valuation.

• American Technology added Cephalon, Inc (NASDAQ: CEPH) to its Focus List as the firm believes the recent pullback provides a buying opportunity. The brokerage believes it sees a significant near-term catalyst with Nuvigil's PDUFA date of March 31, 2007.

• Lehman upgraded Xilinx, Inc (NASDAQ: XLNX) to Overweight from Equal-Weight. Goldman upgraded Amdocs Ltd (DOX) to Buy from Neutral with a $41 target; the firm expects Amdocs to benefit from the health 2007 telco fundamentals.

• UBS upgraded J.C. Penney Company (NYSE: JCP) to Buy from Neutral on valuation.

• Citigroup upgraded shares of Radian Group Inc (RDN) in conjunction with their upgrade of MGIC Investment Corp (MTG), to Buy from Hold, to reflect the planned merger.

Analyst upgrades 3-12-07: Nokia picked up the call, upgraded to Buy originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 12 Mar 2007 10:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.