Analyst Upgrades

• Verizon (VZ), FEMSA (FMX), Vornado (VNO), Duke Realty (DRE) and AvalonBay (AVB) to buy from neutral, as well as Carnival (CCL) to conviction buy from buy, at Goldman.
• Symantec (SYMC) to buy from hold at Citigroup.
• Copano Energy (CPNO), DCP Midstream (DPM) and Inergy (NRGY) to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.
• SYNNEX (SNX) to strong buy from buy at Needham.
• Eli Lilly (LLY) to hold from sell at Hapoalim.
• World Wrestling (WWE) to buy from neutral at Roth Capital.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AKS, CCL, EOG, GE, GS, LLY, SNDK, T, TLB, TUP, VZ, WWE ...

Analyst Calls: AKS, CCL, EOG, GE, GS, LLY, SNDK, T, TLB, TUP, VZ, WWE ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 12 Jan 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Although short-term news may seem bright for Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY), the broader picture for the company looks flat. Having dropped from an average share price in the $53 range over two years ago, to a current average share value hovering near $35, investors are signaling that the long range forecast for Lilly is unexciting at best.

It appears that Lilly shall be buoyed in the near term by the recent FDA approval of testosterone replacement therapy Axiron for sale in the U.S. Lilly purchased rights to Axiron from Australian firm, Acrux for an initial payment of $50 million plus $3 million based on the transfer of manufacturing assets.

Continue reading Eli Lilly Likely to Remain Limp

Eli Lilly Likely to Remain Limp originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 24 Nov 2010 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Eli Lilly Stops Alzheimer's Drug Development

Eli Lilly Stops Alzheimer's Drug Development originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Auriga upgraded Leap Wireless (LEAP) to buy from hold following the company's Q2 results and analyst day, citing valuation, longer-term potential for consolidation and prospects for business improvements. Despite upgrading, the firm lowered its target for shares to $16 from $19.
• Goldman upgraded Barnes & Noble (BKS) to neutral from sell following the company's announcement to explore strategic alternatives. The firm raised its price target to $15 from $12.
• RBC Capital upgraded ESCO Technologies (ESE) to sector perform from underperform following the better-than-expected Q3 report. The firm raised its price target to $30 from $28.
• MetLife (MET) was upgraded to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Priceline.com (PCLN) was upgraded to buy from hold at Stifel Nicolaus.
• HSBC (HBC) was upgraded to outperform from underperform at CLSA.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AMD, BKC, BKS, BP, DOW, HBC, LEAP, LLY, MET, PCLN, ...

Analyst Calls: AMD, BKC, BKS, BP, DOW, HBC, LEAP, LLY, MET, PCLN, ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you're interested on taking a bet on a potential high-flyer, you might want to take a look at Allergan (AGN).

Goldman Sachs recently said they expect more M&A activity in pharmaceutical and that Allergan is a prime candidate for a takeover. Sanofi-Aventis (SNY) and Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY) are two companies analysts are speculating may be interested in acquiring Allergan.

Goldman also upgraded its price target for Allergan on its Conviction Buy List from $78 to $81.

Continue reading Goldman Sachs Targets Allergan as Takeover Candidate

Goldman Sachs Targets Allergan as Takeover Candidate originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 13 Jul 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Short Sellers Piling on Forest Laboratories

Short Sellers Piling on Forest Laboratories originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 01 Jul 2010 17:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• FBR Capital upgraded Noble Corporation (NE) to outperform from market perform as it finds the company's acquisition of Frontier Drilling as smart and strategic. The firm upped its target price for shares to $42 from $36.
• Citigroup upgraded Ameriprise (AMP) to buy from hold, citing potential margin expansion from the Columbia acquisition. The firm maintains a $50 price target for shares.
• Thomas Weisel upgraded Jabil Circuit (JBL) to overweight from market weight, citing valuation and the company's growth prospects. The firm raised its target for shares to $20 from $18.
• Blackrock (BLK) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Keefe Bruyette.
• Disney (DIS) and News Corp (NWS) were upgraded to buy from neutral at Goldman.
• Portland General Electric (POR) was upgraded to neutral from underperform at BofA/Merrill.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AH, AMP, BDX, DIS, ETH, JBL, MRK, NE, NWS, TWX, VIA ...

Analyst Calls: AH, AMP, BDX, DIS, ETH, JBL, MRK, NE, NWS, TWX, VIA ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 29 Jun 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Great dividend picks are easier to find than you think. Retirees looking for safe places to stash their cash are already familiar with many blue chips that have hefty yields. It's just that when investors stop at the grocery store or pay their phone bill, they aren't thinking about how the big brands they're doing business with are actually good dividend payers.

Here are three of America's best know public corporations with yields that are about twice what 10-year Treasuries pay. These low-risk blue chips are some of the most famous high-yield dividend stocks out there.

Continue reading Three Famous Dividend All-Stars

Three Famous Dividend All-Stars originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Jun 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading $75 Million in Drugs Stolen from Eli Lilly Warehouse

$75 Million in Drugs Stolen from Eli Lilly Warehouse originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Global pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK), whose brands include Claritin, Coppertone, Lotrimin, Propecia, Singulair and Vytorin, is scheduled to discuss its fourth-quarter and full-year financial results in a conference call Monday, Feb. 16, at 8:00 AM (ET), hosted by CEO Richard T. Clark and CFO Peter N. Kellogg. A live webcast of the call will be available at the company's website.

During the three months that ended in December, Merck merged with Schering-Plough, appointed a chief medical officer and announced a quarterly dividend. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are looking for earnings for that period of $0.78 per share, down from $0.90 per share in the previous quarter and $0.87 per share a year ago. But revenue for the fourth quarter is expected to have jumped 60.8% from a year ago to $9.7 billion.

Continue reading Merck Earnings Preview: Lower Profit, Higher Sales Expected

Merck Earnings Preview: Lower Profit, Higher Sales Expected originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Incyte Hits New 52-Week High on Eli Lilly Deal

Incyte Hits New 52-Week High on Eli Lilly Deal originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Biogen Idec names new chairman, announces positive drug test results

Biogen Idec names new chairman, announces positive drug test results originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 11:40:00 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.

Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly & Co. (NYSE: LLY) is planning to cut 5,500 jobs over the next few years and reorganize into five business units. The company is looking to reduce costs and accelerate how long it takes new drugs to get to market, especially as its top performers see their patents expire. This translates to a workforce reduction of close to 14% - to 35,000. This measure doesn't include new positions in emerging markets with high potential and Japan.

The company hopes to cut as much as possible through attrition and retirements - and it would not indicate how many other positions would have to be cut.

Eli Lilly's goal is to slash its annual cost by $1 billion during this restructuring. The new business units will be: cancer, diabetes, established markets, emerging markets and Elanco, which is its animal health business. This is a change from the existing functional model, which separates U.S. and global marketing for each drug in the company's portfolio. Through the new structure, Lilly says, drug development and marketing will be tied more closely.

Continue reading Eli Lilly to restructure, bet on drug portfolio

Eli Lilly to restructure, bet on drug portfolio originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• JPMorgan upgraded Franklin Resources (NYSE: BEN) to Overweight from Underweight to reflect performance and sales improvements, as well as benefits from the weakening U.S. dollar. The firm has a $94 target on the stock.
• Oppenheimer upgraded FormFactor (NASDAQ: FORM) to Outperform from Perform after channel checks indicated orders are recovering. The firm raised its target on shares to $30 from $22.
• KeyBanc upgraded Oshkosh (NYSE: OSK) to Buy from Hold citing the company's MRAP-ATV contract win, which they view as a "game changer." The firm has a $30 target on the stock.
• Novellus (NASDAQ: NVLS) was upgraded to Neutral from Underperform at Credit Suisse.
• Ternium (NYSE: TX) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Goldman.
• Cathay General (NASDAQ: CATY) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at B. Riley.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: LLY, NVLS, OSK, QCOM, RDS.A, RTP ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: LLY, NVLS, OSK, QCOM, RDS.A, RTP ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

• Altria Group Inc. (NYSE: MO) Q4 profit rose on higher prices, and its forecast matched expectations.
• Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ: AMGN) Q4 earnings grew on cost cutting but revenue remained flat.
• Black & Decker Corp. (NYSE: BDK) shares tanked after the dismal Q4 report, and it announced job cuts.
• Carpenter Technology Corp. (NYSE: CRS) Q2 numbers resulted in a downgrade from one analyst.
• ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) reported a Q4 loss due to writedowns from recent acquisitions.
• DuPont (NYSE: DD) swung to a bigger-than-expected Q4 loss and its revenue fell as well.
• Eli Lilly & Co. (NYSE: LLY) swung to a Q4 loss on acquisition costs but reaffirmed its guidance.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Ford, P&G, Wells Fargo, Starbucks, DuPont, Halliburton and others

Earnings highlights: Ford, P&G, Wells Fargo, Starbucks, DuPont, Halliburton and others originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 31 Jan 2009 08:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Earlier today, pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) announced that it suffered a fourth-quarter loss thanks to charges suffered when purchasing ImClone Systems. Excluding these charges, LLY tallied $1.07 per share in the quarter -- topping analysts' estimates for $1.05 per share. Taking the ImClone acquisition (which cost LLY $4.73 billion in charges) into account, LLY lost $3.31 per share during the quarter. Quarterly revenue checked in at $5.42 billion.

Continue reading Eli Lilly posts quarterly earnings

Eli Lilly posts quarterly earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Lots of quarterly reports to come this week, and if you're one of those looking to earnings for signs of the direction of the markets or of the economy, well its going to be a rough week. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters, by and large, expect earnings declines to be deeper and more numerous than earnings gains. And that's true across sectors: Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT), Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), U.S. Steel Corp. (NYSE: X), Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC), New York Times Co. (NYSE: NYT), Starbucks Corp. (NASDAQ: SBUX), Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA), Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. (NYSE: HOT), American Express Co. (NYSE: AXP), Altria Group Inc. (NYSE: MO), and Texas Instruments Inc. (NYSE: TXN) are all expected to post double-digit declines this week.

Even the petroleum industry is not immune, with Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX), Valero Energy Corp. (NYSE: VLO), ExxonMobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM), Murphy Oil Corp. (NYSE: MUR), ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP), Occidental Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: OXY), and Hess Corp. (NYSE: HES) expected to report profits that were as much as 65.3% lower in the fourth quarter.

And analysts expect Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (NYSE: FCX), Tyson Foods Inc. (NYSE: TSN), DuPont (NYSE: DD), and Sun Microsystems Inc. (NASDAQ: JAVA) to have swung to losses for the most recent quarter, from profits in the same period a year ago. And Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) is expect to have deepened its net loss.

But not all is doom and gloom. There are some anticipated EPS gainers as well. Here's a closer look at a few of them.

Continue reading The week in preview: High hopes for McDonald's, Pfizer, Netflix, P&G

The week in preview: High hopes for McDonald's, Pfizer, Netflix, P&G originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 25 Jan 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.