Analyst Upgrades

• Siemens (SI) to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• Diamond Offshore (DO) to market perform from underperform at FBR Capital.
• MeadWestvaco (MWV) to conviction buy from neutral at Goldman.
• TD AmeriTrade (AMTD) and Cabot Oil & Gas (COG) to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Janus Capital (JNS) to hold from sell at Citigroup.
• Motorola Mobility (MMI) to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Frontier Communications (FTR) to neutral from underperform at Macquarie.
• Humana (HUM) to buy from hold at Argus.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AMTD, COG, DO, F, GM, HUM, LEA, MMI, NKE, SI, TRW ...

Analyst Calls: AMTD, COG, DO, F, GM, HUM, LEA, MMI, NKE, SI, TRW ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 18 Mar 2011 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Friday's fourth-quarter GDP numbers offered more evidence that the economy is picking up steam, but one of the biggest obstacles to the recovery remains the stubbornly high unemployment rate. We'll find out whether there's been any movement on that front when employment data for January comes out this week. The Challenger Job-Cut report and ADP employment data are due Wednesday, and the government's unemployment rate on Friday. Another mild increase in jobs is expected, in line with the three-month average, but not enough to significantly reduce the unemployment rate.

Also look for the ISM manufacturing and nonmanufacturing indexes this week, as well as the Chicago PMI and the New York NAPM index. And Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke will speak to the National Press Club on Thursday.

Continue reading Week in Preview: January Employment Data, UPS Earnings and More

Week in Preview: January Employment Data, UPS Earnings and More originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 30 Jan 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Fluor (FLR) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Macy's (M) to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.
• Canadian Solar (CSIQ), JA Solar (JASO) and HeartWare (HTWR) to buy from hold at Auriga.
• Ashford Hospitality (AHT) to outperform from market perform at FBR Capital.
• RenaissanceRe (RNR) to buy from neutral at Janney Capital.
• DCT Industrial (DCT) to market perform from underperform at Wells Fargo.
• Coeur d'Alene Mines (CDE) and Silver Standard (SSRI) to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• Weatherford (WFT), Hercules (HERO), GulfMark Offshore (GLF), Tidewater (TDW) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to buy from hold, and Diamond Offshore (DO) to hold from underperform, at Jefferies.
• Ritchie Bros. (RBA) to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• AstraZeneca (AZN) to buy from hold at Citigroup.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AA, AMD, AMR, AZN, CIT, GSK, HPQ, M, NVDA, PCX, SPWRA ...

Analyst Calls: AA, AMD, AMR, AZN, CIT, GSK, HPQ, M, NVDA, PCX, SPWRA ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Diamond Offshore (DO) to conviction buy from sell and Baker Hughes (BHI) to buy from neutral at Goldman.
• Frontier Communications (FTR) to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo.
• Syntel (SYNT) to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo, to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank and to buy from neutral at Janney Capital.
• Kulicke & Soffa (KLIC) and Fiserv (FISV) to outperform from perform at Oppenheimer.
• 3M (MMM) to neutral from underweight and Tyco (TYC) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Collective Brands (PSS) and Nordstrom (JWN) to overweight from equal weight, as well as Foot Locker (FL) to equal weight from underweight, at Morgan Stanley.
• Amazon.com (AMZN) to buy from hold at Lazard Capital.
• Yamana Gold (AUY) to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: APC, AMZN, CME, DO, GPS, H, JCP, JWN, KSS, PM SYNT ...

Analyst Calls: APC, AMZN, CME, DO, GPS, H, JCP, JWN, KSS, PM SYNT ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Wynn Resorts (WYNN) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Oracle (ORCL) and Alliance Data Systems (ADS) to outperform from neutral at Macquarie.
• Saint Joe (JOE) to outperform from market perform at Keefe Bruyette.
• Starwood Hotels (HOT) to neutral from underperform at RW Baird.
• Middlesex Water (MSEX) to buy from neutral at Janney Capital.
• Consol Energy (CNX) to buy from hold at BB&T.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: BAC, CMA, DO, HOT, ORCL, RIG, RTN, SBUX, TLB, WYNN ...

Analyst Calls: BAC, CMA, DO, HOT, ORCL, RIG, RTN, SBUX, TLB, WYNN ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 16 Dec 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Election Day Trades (MRK, PFE, WLP)

Election Day Trades (MRK, PFE, WLP) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 02 Nov 2010 14:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Berstein upgraded Diamond Offshore (DO) to market perform from underperform based on valuation. The firm has a $69 price target on the stock.
• Jefferies upgraded Patterson-UTI Energy (PTEN) to buy from hold, citing leverage to higher land rig pricing. The firm raised its price target to $21 from $17.
• Wunderlich upgraded Renasant (RNST) to buy from hold following the company's acquisition of Crescent Bank. The firm raised its target for shares to $20 from $15.
• AT&T (T) was upgraded to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• Blackstone (BX) was upgraded to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Scripps Networks (SNI) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: BX, CBOE, DO, EL, INTU, ITT, PTEN, RNST, T, TEVA ...

Analyst Calls: BX, CBOE, DO, EL, INTU, ITT, PTEN, RNST, T, TEVA ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Oppenheimer upgraded Goldman Sachs (GS) to Outperform from Perform following the company's $550M settlement with the SEC. Opco has a $213 price target for Goldman shares. BofA/Merrill upgraded Goldman Sachs to Buy from Neutral and raised its price target to $182 from $160.
• Wells Fargo upgraded JP Morgan (JPM) to Outperform from Market Perform following the company's Q2 results citing valuation and lower credit costs. The firm keeps a valuation range for shares of $48-$51.
• Goldman upgraded Murphy Oil (MUR) to Buy from Neutral and has a $61 price target on the stock. The firm cites Murphy's Eagle Ford growth and valuation for the upgrade.
• Precision Cast (PCP) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse.
• Pride International (PDE) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Jefferies.
• BHP Billiton (BHP) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at HSBC.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: GS, JPM, BHP, HES, VVUS, SNE, PG, MGM, HUM

Analyst Calls: GS, JPM, BHP, HES, VVUS, SNE, PG, MGM, HUM originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 16 Jul 2010 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Diamond Offshore (DO) and Total (TOT): Oversold Buys

Diamond Offshore (DO) and Total (TOT): Oversold Buys originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Jun 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Bernstein upgraded Corning (GLW) to outperform from market perform based on Gorilla glass prospects and valuation. The firm raised its price target to $22 from $21.
• RBC Capital upgraded Beckman Coulter (BEC) two rating levels to outperform from underperform, citing valuation and customer checks that indicate high retention rates. The firm upped its target for shares to $65 from $55.
• Credit Suisse upgraded Canadian Pacific (CP) to outperform from underperform. The firm expects Canadian Pacific to have stronger-than-average Q2 volume growth, improved productivity and notes leverage to growth in Asia, among other reasons for the upgrade. The firm raised its target to $75 from $59.
• Freeport McMoRan (FRX) was upgraded to overweight from neutral at HSBC.
• Solera (SLH) was upgraded to strong buy from buy at Needham.
• Jefferies upgraded IPC The Hospitalist Co. (IPCM) to buy from hold.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: BEC, BRCM, CP, CVS, DO, GLW, INTC, LMT, NE, NVDA, RIG, RTN ...

Analyst Calls: BEC, BRCM, CP, CVS, DO, GLW, INTC, LMT, NE, NVDA, RIG, RTN ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 08 Jun 2010 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades

• Deutsche Bank upgraded Sonoco Products (SON) to buy from hold after the company reported Q1 results and raised guidance. The firm upped its target for shares to $38 from $32.
• Baird upgraded Western Digital (WDC) to outperform from neutral following the solid Q3 report and guidance. The firm raised its target to $50 from $48.
• Goldman upgraded Qwest (Q) to neutral from sell. Qwest is being acquired by CenturyLink (CTL).
• Hershey (HSY) was upgraded to neutral from underweight at JPMorgan.
• Principal Financial (PFG) was upgraded to neutral from sell at UBS.
• Monster Worldwide (MWW) was upgraded to market perform from underperform at Wells Fargo.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: WDC, Q, HSY, BWLD, NOK, COP, KFT, VZ ...

Analyst Calls: WDC, Q, HSY, BWLD, NOK, COP, KFT, VZ ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 23 Apr 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Credit Suisse upgraded Blackrock (BLK) to outperform from neutral and added shares to its U.S. Focus List. The firm cites valuation for the upgrade. The firm raised its target to $280 from $270.
• Keefe Bruyette upgraded Greenhill & Co. (GHL) to outperform from market perform following the company's acquisition of Caliburn. The firm raised its price target for shares to $110 from $82.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded Athenahealth (ATHN) to buy from hold, citing the removal of the company's accounting overhang and a strong long-term outlook. The firm raised its price target for shares to $51 from $40.
• Ann Taylor (ANN) was upgraded to neutral from underperform at BofA/Merrill.
• Jacobs Engineering (JEC) was upgraded to sell from conviction sell at Goldman.
• Sterling Bancorp (STL) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at BMO Capital.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ALU, ATHN, BLK, BRCM, DO, FUQI, GHL, MRVL, OVTI ...

Analyst Calls: ALU, ATHN, BLK, BRCM, DO, FUQI, GHL, MRVL, OVTI ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Diamond Offshore: For Now, Stand Aside

Diamond Offshore: For Now, Stand Aside originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Diamond Offshore: Pull-back is buy opportunity

Diamond Offshore: Pull-back is buy opportunity originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Diamond Offshore Drilling's (NYSE: DO) shares are poised to break-out to the upside, hence I'm reiterating my Buy rating on DO, first recommended on June 10, 2009, at a price of $91.63.

Diamond Offshore is considered to be better-positioned than other offshore oil/natural gas drillers for 2009-2010, due to a strong backlog of existing contracts, and a significant cash position. Some of that cash could be used to buy newbuild rigs and/or weaker offshore drilling contractors. DO services customers in about 50 countries; a major customer is Petroleo Brasileiro (NYSE: PBR).

Continue reading Diamond Offshore: Poised to break-out north

Diamond Offshore: Poised to break-out north originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 03 Oct 2009 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Worldwide offshore oil and gas drilling contractor Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc. (NYSE: DO) has formed a massive bottom known as a cup-and-handle, which is a very bullish formation.

Coupled with a gold cross (also bullish), DO recently flashed a buy signal from the Moving Average Convergence/Divergence (MACD) indicator.

Continue reading Technical trade #1: Diamond Offshore Drilling (DO)

Technical trade #1: Diamond Offshore Drilling (DO) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 05 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you're looking for the most accurate way to predict the direction a stock or the market is headed, technical analysis is it.

Of course, no chart pattern is accurate all of the time (which is why technical analysis is more of an art than a science), but it's the closest you're going to get to a sure thing in the stock market.

So I'm offering up six technical trades today. Each of these stocks' charts are giving off extremely bullish signals and look ready to run higher.

Continue reading Six technical trades that are off the charts

Six technical trades that are off the charts originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 05 Sep 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Drill, baby, drill was the calling card of the Republican Party during the last presidential election.

With high oil prices and rising demand, finding new sources of oil is imperative. Given environmental concerns, offshore drilling is one space that still offers meaningful potential to increase domestic supply.

Diamond Offshore Drilling (NYSE: DO) operates some 45 deep water rigs that are keeping extraordinarily busy with oil prices on the rise.

Continue reading Oil stock #3: Diamond Offshore Drilling (DO)

Oil stock #3: Diamond Offshore Drilling (DO) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 28 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

You have to love OPEC. It's not uncommon for the barons of the giant cartel to voice their interest in seeing oil at such-and-such a price.

Recently, OPEC reiterated its desire to see oil prices at $80 per barrel. This, they claim, is the price needed to spur additional investment in crude projects. Apparently, anything less will result in oil sitting idle in the ground.

Continue reading Sell these hot oil stocks for big profits now

Sell these hot oil stocks for big profits now originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 27 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Oppenheimer upgraded Genoptix (NASDAQ: GXDX) to Outperform from Perform and raised its target to $44 from $33 based on analysis of oncology testing reimbursement that indicates average revenue per case is within industry norms.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded Legg Mason (NYSE: LM) to Hold from Sell citing reports that an activist investor, Nelson Peltz, has increased its stake in the company. The firm said fundamentals remain weak but the news will likely push shares higher.
• Suntrust upgraded VCA Antech (NASDAQ: WOOF) to Buy from Neutral citing reduced headwinds and favorable risk/reward. The firm has a $30 target on shares.
• SLM Corp. (NYSE: SLM) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at JPMorgan.
• Diamond Offshore (NYSE: DO) and FMC Technologies (NYSE: FMC) were upgraded to Neutral from Sell at Goldman.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AA, GLW, HAL, NKE, SLM ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AA, GLW, HAL, NKE, SLM ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.