Analyst Upgrades

• NYSE Euronex (NYX) to conviction buy from neutral at Goldman.
• General Dynamics (GD) to buy from hold at Citigroup.
• Deere (DE), Parker-Hannifin (PH) and ExlService (EXLS) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Aflac (AFL) to outperform from market perform at FBR Capital.
• Wynn Resorts (WYNN) to buy from neutral at Janney Capital.
• Amdocs (DOX) to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Juniper (JNPR) to buy from hold at ThinkEquity.
• Rudolph Tech (RTEC) and KLA-Tencor (KLAC) to perform from underperform at Oppenheimer.
• Hershey (HSY) and Pinnacle Entertainment (PNK) to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo.
• Spirit AeroSystems (SPR) to equal weight from underweight at Morgan Stanley.
• Micron (MU) to outperform from neutral at RW Baird.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AFL, DE, DOX, GD, GS, HSY, ITT, MS, NYX, TXN, UBS, WYNN ...

Analyst Calls: AFL, DE, DOX, GD, GS, HSY, ITT, MS, NYX, TXN, UBS, WYNN ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

According to the Financial Times, the Chinese Ministry of Information and Industry Technology called for a crackdown "on illegal VoIP (voice over Internet protocol) telephone services" and is collecting evidence for legal cases against them.

China is a big player in most markets; however, when it comes to technology, powerful local companies hold sway. Last year Google (GOOG) fought a battle to keep its website in China. A couple of years ago, China set rules whereby all Internet content had to pass through censors before being approved.

Continue reading Skype Could Face Charges in China

Skype Could Face Charges in China originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 02 Jan 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• JPMorgan upgraded Coca-Cola (KO) to overweight from neutral due to valuation and expectations that developed market volume should improve. The firm raised its target price for shares to $66.
• BB&T upgraded Nordson (NDSN) to buy from hold and has an $82 price target on the stock. The firm believes certain drivers of Nordson's Advanced Tech unit are becoming more secular vs. cyclical and that the company's EBIT margins can go higher.
• Credit Suisse upgraded Embraer (ERJ) to outperform from underperform, citing the positive announcements from the Famborough Air Show. The firm raised its price target to $37 from $21.
• Universal Health (UHS) was upgraded to outperform from sector perform at RBC Capital.
• Mead Johnson (MJN) was upgraded to conviction buy from buy at Goldman.
• Coventry Health (CVH) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Leerink.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ALU, CHL, EXC, GENZ, KO, NDSN, NSW, SJM, TXN ...

Analyst Calls: ALU, CHL, EXC, GENZ, KO, NDSN, NSW, SJM, TXN ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Serious Money: Buying the Super Caps, Part 6 -- Conclusions

Serious Money: Buying the Super Caps, Part 6 -- Conclusions originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 25 May 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The market continues to be very volatile and trending down. When the seas are this turbulent you want to be on the biggest ships and thus I continue my review of the super cap stocks. This time, I'm going to examine return-on-equity (ROE) and return on-invested-capital (ROIC).

I started with the 12 highest valued companies but remained with 10 after running them through several screens. Among those 10 super, caps the company that is producing the highest returns is Microsoft (MSFT).

Continue reading Serious Money: Buying the Super Caps, Part 5 -- ROE, ROIC

Serious Money: Buying the Super Caps, Part 5 -- ROE, ROIC originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 24 May 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In my search for value investments among the top twelve stocks by capitalization -- the "super caps" -- I began by reviewing the price-to-earnings and price-to-sales ratios. Today we will move on to examine price-to-book (P/B) and price-to-cash flow (P/CF).

If you are one of the lucky ones that benefited from the market's long rise from the depths of Hades and are now looking to rotate into less volatile positions, or you still remain apprehensive and want to stake out a new position, some of these super caps may be just for you.

Continue reading Serious Money: Buying the Super Caps, Part 2

Serious Money: Buying the Super Caps, Part 2 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 18 May 2010 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Since early last fall, the majority of pundits have been saying that there would be a rotation from small cap stocks to the safety of large cap stocks in the new year. So far, the small cap stocks have maintained the lead, but a shift is taking place and the longer the bull runs and the worse global news becomes, the more this is likely to continue.

I have decided to examine the largest of the large cap stocks; lets call them the "super" caps; the top twelve as of May 13, 2010. Over the course of this series, the order will change and the bottom few may fade in and out as the market activity dictates. I may update the order, but for simplicity's sake will not change the stocks from the current list.

Continue reading Serious Money: Buying the Super Caps

Serious Money: Buying the Super Caps originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 17 May 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading China Mobile: Subscribers Move Past the Half-Billion Mark

China Mobile: Subscribers Move Past the Half-Billion Mark originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In terms of subscribers, China Mobile (CHL) is the largest mobile carrier (the base is more than 500 million). But of course, the company wants to become even bigger.

And one of the most promising markets is mobile payment. However, it can be difficult to pull this off. So, China Mobile has agreed to pay $5.83 billion for a 20% stake in Shanghai Pudong Development Bank. The transaction was priced at a 13% discount.

Continue reading China Mobile Bets $5.8 Billion on Mobile Banking

China Mobile Bets $5.8 Billion on Mobile Banking originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The contributing editor to UnCommon Wisdom explains, "The Lunar New Year is considered to be a combination of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's all rolled into an elaborate celebration of reflection, gratitude, renewal and hope. It is the single most celebrated holiday in China.

Continue reading Seven Buys for the Chinese New Year

Seven Buys for the Chinese New Year originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

When Apple (APPL) launched the iPhone three years ago, the big attraction was the sleek design and cool graphics. However, there was something else that was truly innovative: the app store. Basically, Apple allowed third-party developers to create applications for the iPhone, which certainly benefited customers. It has turned into a cash machine, as Apple gets a cut of all the downloads.

Wanting to capitalize on this -- as well as try to slow down Apple -- a group of mobile companies have formed an alliance, called the Wholesale Applications Community. The members include 24 companies, such as AT&T (T), China Mobile (CHL), Verizon (VZ), NTT DoCoMo, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone (VOD).

Continue reading Mobile Biggies Fend Off Apple's App Store

Mobile Biggies Fend Off Apple's App Store originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 15 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.

Validea is an intriguing advisory that bases its stock selections on the known investment criteria of legendary stock market investors.

John Reese explains, "China Mobile Ltd. (CHL) is one of the rare stocks to get approval from three of tour Guru Strategy computer models; it earns top marks from my Warren Buffett-, Peter Lynch-, and James O'Shaughnessy-based models."

Continue reading Top Picks for 2010: China Mobile (CHL)

Top Picks for 2010: China Mobile (CHL) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This is the third screening to find value among Fortune's 25 corporate world leaders that have demonstrated an ability to regenerate themselves from within. The list has been cut to 18 and will be cut further here.

The methodology of using basic stock data points to identify potential value investments only sets the stage for success -- it assures nothing. While it is true that paying less is better than paying more and getting a higher yield is better than less, this gives you a scant picture of what is in people's hearts and minds, and that is harder to judge. Like the weather, no matter the predictions, you may not find out it is raining until you are standing in it. Regardless, it should be advantageous to start with good stock (pun intended) before you take to whittlin', and that we have.

Continue reading Serious Money: Fortune's 25 leaders, 18 remain

Serious Money: Fortune's 25 leaders, 18 remain originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Yesterday I started a review of 25 companies that Fortune deemed most successful according to their peers in developing quality leadership. Today I review the remaining 20, searching to find the ones that might be worth investing in.

Price-to-book (from 11/27/09) was used as the first value screen. The theory being from a value investor's perspective that buying for a price at or near the break-up value of the company provides downside protection. Of course that is easier said than done.

Continue reading Serious Money: Fortune's 25 leaders, now 20

Serious Money: Fortune's 25 leaders, now 20 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The recent issue of Fortune magazine discusses how the best of the best train, guide and nurture top managers to become the leaders that will propel their corporations successfully forward. They list the top 25 companies, which I have used as the basis of a new review to see how they would fair against common metric screens.

In the past few months, many articles have posited that large-cap stocks should excel in the coming year based on their lagging the market behind smaller, more volatile stocks flying out of the March lows. I do not believe this is universally true. Plenty of large-cap stocks did well, such as Anadarko Petroleum (APC), Apple (AAPL) and Google (GOOG), while many small caps went nowhere. Even among the large caps included in Fortune's "Leadership 25," some have doubled.

Continue reading Serious Money: Fortune's 25 leaders among leaders

Serious Money: Fortune's 25 leaders among leaders originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"We're seeing tremendous opportunities in China, which should move up regardless of U.S. market gyrations," says Richard Schmidt. In Stellar Stock Alert, he offers his current favorite China plays.

In addition, Jim Trippon, editor of The China Stock Alert, discusses the latest addition to his model portfolio, China's largest life insurance company -- and one with large exposure to Chinese equities.

And finally, fund expert Jim Lowell -- editor of Fidelity Investor -- says, "Investors should be buying Chinese stocks, Hong Kong real estate and Taiwanese technology." He offers some favorite funds for China region exposure.

Continue reading China stocks and funds: Top picks from three advisors

China stocks and funds: Top picks from three advisors originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"China is the world's biggest market for telecom services," notes Geoffrey Seiler, in an in-depth review of the leading Chinese telecom and wireless phone companies.

In his BullMarket.com, he looks at "China Mobile (NYSE: CHL), China Unicom (NYSE: CHU), and China Telecom (NYSE: CHA) noting,"There is still a lot of wireless growth potential in the world's most populated country. As such, we would expect all three to continue to grow for the foreseeable future."

Seiler explains, "China Mobile is the undisputed king of mobile from a subscriber base standpoint. Through the end of June, the company boasted 493 million subscribers. The company boasts 70% of the Chinese market.

Continue reading Investing in China telecoms: A trio of wireless plays

Investing in China telecoms: A trio of wireless plays originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 10 Sep 2009 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Keefe Bruyette upgraded American Express (NYSE: AXP) to Outperform from Market Perform to reflect improving credit trends following the July monthly data. The firm raised its target price on shares to $37.
• Oppenheimer upgraded Corning (NYSE: GLW) to Outperform from Perform as it believes 2010 estimates are achievable and concerns over falling LCD demand are overdone. The firm set a $19 price target on the stock.
• JPMorgan upgraded International Game Technology (NYSE: IGT) to Overweight from Neutral on valuation and expectations domestic replacement orders will pick up. The firm has a $23 price target on shares.
• Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Pali Capital.
• Portland General Electric (NYSE: POR) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Goldman.
• Mechel Steel (NYSE: MTL) was upgraded to Neutral from Reduce at Nomura.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AXP, CHL, FLOW, GLW, GS ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AXP, CHL, FLOW, GLW, GS ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 18 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"One trend that we do know is already in place is China; not only is it growing, but it has a phenomenal amount of resources -- including its population," says Richard Schmidt.

In his Stellar Stock Alert., he states, "To increase our holdings of Chinese-based companies, we are now adding China Mobile Limited (NYSE: CHL) to our growth stock buy list."

"With one of the world's largest populations, China has all the human resources it needs to continue to expand.

Continue reading China Mobile (CHL) A 'stellar' idea

China Mobile (CHL) A 'stellar' idea originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 11 Aug 2009 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Inflationary fears and the desire to generate higher returns in non-dollar assets should boost BRIC stocks (Brazil, Russia, India and China)," says Chuck Carlson in his The DRIP Investor.

"Despite the run-up this year, BRIC stock markets are still reasonably valued. Russia, India, and Brazil all trade at price/earnings ratios similar to the U.S.

"And while China's stock market does trade at a premium to the U.S., China's economic growth will swamp that of the U.S. this year and for the foreseeable future.

Continue reading 'Compelling case' for China and India

'Compelling case' for China and India originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.