"Rather than worry about global uncertainy, we believe successful long-term stock investing is about identifying and owning businesses on the verge of a dramatic increase in profits -- such as Check Point Software (CHKP)," says Alexander Green.

The editor of The Oxford Club explains, "Founded in 1993 by three members of the Israeli military who linked top-secret computer networks, Check Point is the worldwide leader in securing the internet, providing customers with uncompromising protection against all manner of cyber threats.

Continue reading Cyber Threats Boost Check Point Software (CHKP)

Cyber Threats Boost Check Point Software (CHKP) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Valero Energy (VLO) to outperform from perform at Oppenheimer.
• Changyou.com (CYOU) to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.
• Albermarle (ALB) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• ICU Medical (ICUI) to buy from neutral at Roth Capital.
• Check Point (CHKP) to outperform from market perform at Bernstein.
• FMC Corporation (FMC) to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Rangold Resources (GOLD) to neutral from sell at Goldman.
• Global Cash Access (GCA) to buy from hold at Duncan-Williams.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: CHK, CHKP, DISCA, FMC, GOLD, OC, PCL, RRC, SNI, VLO ...

Analyst Calls: CHK, CHKP, DISCA, FMC, GOLD, OC, PCL, RRC, SNI, VLO ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Exxon Mobil (XOM) and BB&T (BBT) to outperform from perform at Oppenheimer.
• D.R. Horton (DHI) upgraded to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo.
• Meritage Homes (MTH), Old Dominion Freight (ODFL) and Heartland Payment (HPY) to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo.
• Toll Brothers (TOL) to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• Hershey (HSY) to buy from neutral at Janney Capital.
• UnitedHealth (UNH), Cigna (CI) and Allscripts (MDRX) to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• Nationwide Health (NHP) to outperform from market perform at JMP Securities.
• Reynolds American (RAI) to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Adtran (ADTN), PG&E (PCG) and Wisconsin Energy (WEC) to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: BBT, CI, DG, DHI, HSY, NFLX, RAI, TOL, UNH, WAT, XOM ...

Analyst Calls: BBT, CI, DG, DHI, HSY, NFLX, RAI, TOL, UNH, WAT, XOM ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 11:40:00 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.

Analyst Upgrades

• Piper Jaffray upgraded Salesforce.com (CRM) to overweight from neutral, citing valuation following the recent sell-off and strong business trends. The firm has a $115 price target for shares.
• Keefe Bruyette upgraded M&T Bank (MTB) to market perform from underperform on valuation after AIB sold its stake in the company. The firm has a $72 price target for shares.
• Jefferies upgraded OGE Energy (OGE) to buy from hold following the announcement that ArcLight will purchase 9.9% of OGE's interest in Enogex for $183M and believes this deal highlights the hidden value associated with Enogex. The firm raised its price target to $51.50 from $43.
• Thomas & Betts (TNB) was upgraded to outperform from perform at Oppenheimer.
• Bayer (BAYRY) was upgraded to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Texas Roadhouse (TXRH) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at Baird.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: A, ARST, BAC, C, COST, CRM, DPS, GS, JPM, MS, MTB, VOD ...

Analyst Calls: A, ARST, BAC, C, COST, CRM, DPS, GS, JPM, MS, MTB, VOD ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Citigroup upgraded Endo Pharmaceuticals (ENDP) to buy from hold and raised its price target for shares to $40 from $28 following the company's acquisition of Qualitest. The firm believes the deal makes financial and strategic sense. Shares were also upgraded to outperform from perform at Oppenheimer with a $40 price target following the company's acquisition of Qualitest. The firm views the deal as potentially transformative for Endo.
• Goldman upgraded Carnival (CCL) to buy from neutral, citing low supply growth and cost-cutting measures. The firm also raised its price target to $44 from $36.
• Needham upgraded Jabil Circuit (JBL) to strong buy from buy with a $23 target.
• Siliconware Precision (SPIL), United Microelectronic (UMC) and Advanced Semiconductor (ASX) were upgraded to buy from underperform at BofA/Merrill.
• Check Point (CHKP) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.
• Raymond James (RJF) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Ticonderoga.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AZN, BYI, CCL, ENDP, JCG, MFE, MGM, PLCE, RRC, WYNN ...

Analyst Calls: AZN, BYI, CCL, ENDP, JCG, MFE, MGM, PLCE, RRC, WYNN ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

• Aflac Inc. (AFL) higher Q1 earnings were better than analysts expected, due in part to a stronger yen.
• Automatic Data Processing Inc. (ADP) Q3 EPS were the same as a year ago and revenue inched higher.
• BlackRock Inc. (BLK) higher Q1 earnings fell short of analysts' expectations due to acquisition-related charges.
• Broadcom Corp. (BRCM) posted record revenue in Q1 and swung to a profit from a year-ago loss.
• Burger King Holdings Inc. (BKC) topped Wall Street's Q3 earnings estimate, but same-store sales fell.

Continue reading Earnings Highlights: Caterpillar, Comcast, DreamWorks, Ford, Kodak, P&G and More

Earnings Highlights: Caterpillar, Comcast, DreamWorks, Ford, Kodak, P&G and More originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 01 May 2010 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ahead of Check Point's (CHKP) first-quarter results, the expectations were certainly high. And yes, it looks like they were too high. In morning trading, the shares of Check Point were off 3.6% to $34.74.

But the good news is that the company continues its strong growth ramp. In the quarter, revenues increased 26% to $245.1 million. In fact, cash flows from operations came to a cool $217.8 million, up 27% over the past year.

Continue reading Investors Less Secure with Check Point Software?

Investors Less Secure with Check Point Software? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 26 Apr 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Citigroup upgraded Capital One (NYSE: COF) to Buy from Hold as it believes the credit cycle is starting to recover for U.S. credit cards and an improving economy will support bank credit stabilization. The firm raised its target on shares to $44 from $28.
• JPMorgan upgraded Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) to Overweight from Neutral on valuation and believes the stock market recovery will serve as a catalyst.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded F5 Networks (NASDAQ: FFIV) to Buy from Hold after its channel checks indicated a sooner-than-expected order ramp and stabilizing pricing trends. The firm raised its target on shares to $46 from $39.
• COTT Corp. (NYSE: COT) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at UBS.
• Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX) was upgraded to Equal Weight from Underweight at Barclays.
• Illinois Tool Works (NYSE: ITW) was upgraded to Conviction Buy from Neutral at Goldman.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: BX, COF, DD, MS, VMC, WM, ZION ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: BX, COF, DD, MS, VMC, WM, ZION ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Goldman upgraded Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM) to Buy from Neutral on expectations business in the U.S. and China will improve in the second half of 2009. Goldman raised its target price on shares to $40 from $36.
• Canaccord upgraded Exco Resources (NYSE: XCO) to Buy from Speculative Buy citing the company's financial transactions to reduce debt. The firm, which has a $17 target on the stock, says Exco now has a stronger balance sheet, a greater geographic focus, and the ability to expedite drilling programs.
• ThinkEquity upgraded Shanda (NASDAQ: SNDA) to Accumulate from Source of Funds and raised its target to $60 from $50. The firm believes recent weakness on regulatory concerns is overdone and that Q2 estimates are conservative.
• Mack-Cali Realty (NYSE: CLI) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Barclays.
• Marvel Entertainment (NYSE: MVL) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at JPMorgan.
• France Telecom (NYSE: FTE) was upgraded to Outperform from Underperform at Credit Suisse.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: HOT, MVL, NDAQ, PALM, YUM ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: HOT, MVL, NDAQ, PALM, YUM ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

• Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (NYSE: BMY) Q1 profit fell despite strong sales of Plavix and Abilify.
• Check Point Software Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: CHKP) was downgraded based on its guidance.
• Domino's Pizza Inc. (NYSE: DPZ) strong Q1 results were boosted by early debt retirement.
• DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. (NYSE: DWA) strong Q1 results were driven by Madagascar 2.
• Endo Pharmaceuticals Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: ENDP) Q1 results led to an analyst's downgrade.
• E*Trade Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: ETFC) widened its Q1 loss, sending shares sharply lower.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: P&G, DreamWorks, E*Trade, Netflix, Under Armour, Humana and more

Earnings highlights: P&G, DreamWorks, E*Trade, Netflix, Under Armour, Humana and more originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 02 May 2009 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Jefferies upgraded Quicksilver (NYSE: KWK) to Buy from Hold as it believes the company has many options to resolve its liquidity crisis. The firm expects shares to move towards its $10 NAV estimate and raised its target price to $10 from $7.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded Omnicom Group (NYSE: OMC) to Hold from Sell following the Q1 results as the company's margins are holding up better than previously thought. The firm raised its target price on shares to $31 from $21.
  
• Deutsche Bank also upgraded Universal Health (NYSE: UHS) following the company's better than expected Q1 results. Shares were lifted to Buy from Hold and the firm raised its target on the stock to $60 from $45.
• Barclays (NYSE: BCS) was raised to Buy from Reduce at Nomura.
  
• Orient-Express (NYSE: OEH) was lifted to Neutral from Underweight at JP Morgan.
  
• CVS Caremark (NYSE: CVS) was upgraded at Goldman to Conviction Buy from Buy.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: KWK, BCS, CVS, BAC ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: KWK, BCS, CVS, BAC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 28 Apr 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

• Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NYSE: AMD) reported dismal Q4 results due to lower demand.
• AMR Corp. (NYSE: AMR) reported a bigger-than-expected Q4 loss, sending shares lower.
• Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHKP) earnings prospects led to an upgrade.
• eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) posted Q4 and full-year results with increased revenue due to a stronger dollar.
• Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) reported strong Q4 numbers that beat analysts' expectations.
• International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM) reported better-than-expected Q4 and 2008 earnings.
• Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE: LMT) posted strong Q4 results but lowered its 2009 guidance.
• Northern Trust Corp. (NASDAQ: NTRS) shares surged after posting better-than-expected earnings.
• Regions Financial Corp. (NYSE: RF) reported a huge loss due to write-downs and offered a bleak outlook.
• Societe Generale said that it expects to have broken even in the final quarter of 2008.
• Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) posted its second straight quarterly loss due to fuel hedging costs.
• UAL Corp. (NASDAQ: UAUA) reported a huge loss on the erosion in value of oil hedges as prices dropped.
• Usana Health Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ: USNA) posted record Q4 results despite one-time charges.

For more highlights from this week, see Apple, Microsoft, GE, Johnson & Johnson, Harley Davidson and others

Continue reading Earnings highlights: eBay, Google, IBM, Southwest, UAL, AMR, Northern Trust and others

Earnings highlights: eBay, Google, IBM, Southwest, UAL, AMR, Northern Trust and others originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 24 Jan 2009 14:40:00 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 news that Baidu.com (NASDAQ: BIDU) was being included in the NASADQ 100 index is not just a big deal for the high flying Chinese stock, but rather continued validation for investors who look abroad to make big gains. The fact that another foreign company has been added to the prestigious index, shows that more and more large companies are headquartered outside the US, and that the real strong economic growth is continually coming from emerging markets. Investors tend to think of Latin America and China/South East Asia as the traditional emerging markets, but there is another market, that has also performed exceptionally well over the last five years, and in times of global market turmoil, has been a refuge for emerging market investors

That market is Israel. With more stocks trading on the NASDAQ than any other country in the world, Israel has learned that economic success depends on exporting ingenuity. With a very small domestic market, even though GDP growth is continuing in the 5.5-6% range, what intrigues foreign investors is the innovative technology that comes out of Israel. If you look around at the products you use on a daily basis, you will find embedded in them key Israeli intellectual property. Companies from Checkpoint Software (NASDAQ: CHKP), which makes the firewall that sits on your computer, to Teva Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: TEVA), the world's largest generic drug maker, are just a small sample of this.

Today's news isn't just great for Baidu, it's more validation for emerging economies as a whole.

Aaron Katsman is the lead Portfolio Manager and Managing Director of America Israel Investment Associates, LLC. and Senior Editor of IsraelNewsletter.com. Disclosure: Writer is long BIDU,CHKP and TEVA as of 12/04/07.

Baidu.com: NASDAQ 100 inclusion big for China and other emerging markets originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 04 Dec 2007 14:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Today's headlines that IBM (NYSE: IBM) is looking at beefing up its security offerings raises the question if management would acquire Israel-based Check Point Software (NASDAQ: CHKP). Val Rahmani, IBM's general manager of infrastructure management for global technology services, sees security as a key to growth. Val said, "We're looking at a lot of different companies right now, as we always do in a number of different spaces within security."

Until now, the thought on the Street was that Check Point was going to continue as a stand-alone company, but with IBM on the prowl, it may be too much for CEO Gil Schwed to resist. Check Point currently trades at a market cap of $5.53 billion, and an acquisition would certainly come with a much higher price tag. Based on valuation, it would take between $7-8 billion to buy the company. For deep-pocketed IBM, that's not too high a price. For Schwed, a takeover at that price would be tough to reject, and it would break all records for M&A of an Israeli company.

Based on IBM's track record, I would doubt that it is going to try to grow its own security business organically; rather, it will most probably purchase a serious player. Stay tuned to see if that player will be Check Point.

Disclosure: Writer holds a position in CHKP. He has no other position in any stock mentioned as of 11/2/07.

Aaron Katsman is the lead Portfolio Manager and Managing Director of America Israel Investment Associates, LLC. and Senior Editor of IsraelNewsletter.com.

Will IBM check out Check Point? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 02 Nov 2007 14:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TEVA Pharmaceutical (NASDAQ: TEVA), the world's biggest generic drugmaker, reported that third-quarter net income fell to $525 million, or 64 cents a share, from $606 million, or 74 cents, in the year-earlier period. Sales reached $2.37 billion from $2.29 billion. Consensus estimates of 63 cents of profit on sales of $2.41 billion was expected. While TEVA was a bit light on the revenue line, it beat by a penny on EPS, in large part due to stronger than expected margins.

With a very strong pipeline, and expanding margins, TEVA continues to be the leading large pharma play out there. The stock is trading down today for two reasons. Up more than 50% year to date, the stock was priced for a blowout earnings report, which we didn't get. More importantly, CFO Dan Suesskind announced his retirement. In the company for over 30 years, he is the face of the company to investors, and his departure leaves many nervous. Hi replacement, current Checkpoint (NASDAQ: CHKP) CFO, Eyal Desheh, is no slouch. He knows TEVA well, having worked there for six years and as CFO of a NASDAQ 100 high-tech company, he is well-known on the Street.

For those looking for a long-term pharma play, consider buying TEVA on any weakness.

Disclosure: Author holds both TEVA and CHKP as of 10/30/07.

Aaron Katsman is the lead Portfolio Manager and Managing Director of America Israel Investment Associates, LLC. and Senior Editor of IsraelNewsletter.com.

Visit AOL Money & Finance for more earnings coverage

TEVA CFO's departure overshadows strong margins originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 30 Oct 2007 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Jefferies downgraded shares of Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN) to Hold from Buy, as they believe the company's fundamentals are weakening given the worse than anticipated share losses in the wireless segment. Shares were also lowered to Neutral from Overweight at JP Morgan, to Equal Weight from Overweight at Lehman, to Neutral from Outperform at Credit Suisse, and to Neutral from Buy at UBS to reflect the slowdown in the company's wireless growth.
  
• Check Point Software (NASDAQ: CHKP) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Jefferies on valuation and highlights the difficult spending environment in 1H08 as well as the company's tough comps.
  
• Deutsche Bank downgraded shares of Mobile Mini (NASDAQ: MINI) to Hold from Buy following the company's negative preannouncement.
  
• Oppenheimer lowered Vineyard National Bancorp (NASDAQ: VNBC) to Neutral from Buy to reflect slower pace of balance sheet growth and lower gain-on-sale income estimates.
  
• JMP Securities downgraded TorreyPines (NASDAQ: TPTX) to Market Outperform from Strong Buy and said Tezampanel's lack of dose response and statistically significant pain free response will keep the stock in the "show me" category.

• JP Morgan downgraded ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) to Underweight from Neutral and Marathon Oil Corporation (NYSE: MRO) to Neutral from Overweight.
  
• UBS downgraded Zions Bancorporation (NASDAQ: ZION) to Neutral from Buy.
  
• Citigroup downgraded Kellogg Company (NYSE: K) to Hold from Buy.
  
• ThinkEquity downgraded ValueClick (NASDAQ: VCLK) to Source of Funds from Buy.

Analyst downgrade: TXN, CHKP, MINI, VNBC and TPTX originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 23 Oct 2007 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

When it comes to protecting your firm's computer network, you want to do business with a security software company experienced at dealing with complex corporate systems. There is an outfit in Israel that knows those ropes. Among the thousands of businesses on its customer list are all of the Fortune 100 companies.

Check Point Software Technologies (NASDAQ: CHKP) provides security software used to protect corporate networks. Products verify remote users, control access, block viruses and allow firms to establish virtual private networks (VPN) for secure communications, bandwidth management and enhanced performance. Competitors include Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO), Juniper Networks (NASDAQ: JNPR) and Symantec Corporation (NASDAQ: SYMC).

The company received some good news last week, when Friedman Billings upgraded the shares from "market perform" to "outperform" and boosted its price target to $28. The broker noted that Check Point was starting to see a re-acceleration in business from its strengthened VPN/firewall product portfolio and believed the company was positioned to benefit from an anticipated surge in endpoint security spending over the next year.

Continue reading Check Point Software Technologies (CHKP): IT security specialists

Check Point Software Technologies (CHKP): IT security specialists originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 13 Sep 2007 14:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Bernstein upgraded Talisman Energy Inc (NYSE: TLM) to Outperform from Market Perform on valuation and potential exploration success in Vietnam and raised Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: APC), Devon Energy Corporation (NYSE: DVN) and EOG Resources Inc (NYSE: EOG) to Market Perform from Underperform on improving gas fundamentals.
• Bernstein also upgraded shares of BP PLC (NYSE: BP) and BG Group (NYSE: BRG) to Outperform from Market Perform.
• Check Point Software Technologies (NASDAQ: CHKP) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Friedman Billings, citing checks that indicate a strong product cycle for the company's beefed up VPN/firewall product portfolio.
• ValueClick (NASDAQ: VCLK) was upgraded at Citigroup to Buy from Hold on valuation, as they believe the recent correction provides a compelling entry point.

• Merrill Lynch upgraded shares of Alcoa Inc (NYSE: AA), Alumina Ltd (NYSE: AWC) and Century Aluminum Company (NASDAQ: CENX) to Buy from Neutral and shares of Southern Copper Corporation (NYSE: PCU) to Neutral from Sell.
• JP Morgan upgraded shares of Tempur Pedic International (NYSE: TPX) to Overweight from Neutral.
  
• Infineon Technologies (NYSE: IFX) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse.

Analyst upgrades 9-5-07: BP, BRG, CHKP and VCLK originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 05 Sep 2007 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.