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.

Analyst Upgrades

• General Electric (GE) and Barclays (BCS) to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Warnaco (WRC) to outperform from market perform and Melco Crown (MPEL) to market perform from underperform at Wells Fargo.
• Parker-Hannifin (PH) and Emerson Electric (EMR) to buy from neutral at Goldman.
• AMD (AMD) to buy from neutral at Nomura.
• Novellus (NVLS) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW) to equal weight from underweight at Morgan Stanley.
• OpenTable (OPEN) to outperform from market perform at Morgan Keegan.
• Skilled Healthcare (SKH) to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• Lear (LEA) to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• Adobe (ADBE) to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AMD, BCS, BJ, CVC, EMR, GE, NVLS, PCG, PH, VLO, XOM ...

Analyst Calls: AMD, BCS, BJ, CVC, EMR, GE, NVLS, PCG, PH, VLO, XOM ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Wells Fargo upgraded Home Properties (HME) to outperform from market perform. The firm thinks that rental rate in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic are poised to increase, while Home Properties provides relatively cheap access to these markets.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded VeriSign (VRSN) to buy from hold after the company sold its authentication business to Symantec (SYMC). The firm upped its target for VRSN shares to $35 from $25.
• Macquarie upgraded Nexen (NXY) to outperform from neutral following the company's divestiture of its noncore heavy-oil properties in Western Canada.
• UPS (UPS) was upgraded to buy from hold at Stifel Nicolaus.
• Dell (DELL) was upgraded to buy from hold at Standpoint Research.
• Emerson Electric (EMR) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Bernstein.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AAPL, AMZN, CVS, DELL, HME, NTY, NXY, SYMC, UPS, VRSN, WAG ...

Analyst Calls: AAPL, AMZN, CVS, DELL, HME, NTY, NXY, SYMC, UPS, VRSN, WAG ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 20 May 2010 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Deutsche Bank upgraded Murphy Oil (MUR) to buy from hold following the company's analyst day. In addition, the firm raised its target for shares to $70 from $59.
• SunTrust upgraded Petroleum Development (PETD) to buy from neutral based on higher price realizations. The firm has a $31 target on the stock.
• Sterne Agee upgraded P.F. Chang's (PFCB) to buy from neutral, citing valuation and SSS momentum. The firm has a $54 target on the stock.
• Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) was upgraded to neutral from underperform at Credit Suisse.
• PepsiCo (PEP) was upgraded to conviction buy from buy at Goldman.
• Baytex Energy Trust (BTE) was upgraded to buy from speculative buy at Canaccord.
• Disney (DIS) was upgraded to hold from sell at Citigroup.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: APC, ATMI, DCAI, DIS, INTC, MUR, PEP, PETD, RBS, TXN ...

Analyst Calls: APC, ATMI, DCAI, DIS, INTC, MUR, PEP, PETD, RBS, TXN ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 12 May 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Chasing Value: General Cable -- Can Something Be Too Cheap?

Chasing Value: General Cable -- Can Something Be Too Cheap? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Deutsche Bank upgraded Wells Fargo (WFC) to buy from hold as it believes the TARP repayment should remove uncertainty and that the company will report strong Q4 results. The firm raised its target price on shares to $36 from $29. Keefe Bruyette upgraded Wells Fargo to market perform from outperform following the TARP repayment and raised its target on shares to $28 from $24.
• Wells Fargo believes News Corp's (NWS) newspaper and TV station segments are finally outperforming budget, while cable nets continue to perform well. The firm upgraded shares to outperform from market perform and has a $16 to $17 Valuation range.
• BofA/Merrill upgraded Starwood Hotels (HOT) to buy from underperform as they expect "strong cyclical recovery in lodging earnings" in late 2010. The firm raised its target to $40 from $25.
• ArcelorMittal (MT) was upgraded to buy from neutral at UBS.
• JA Solar (JASO) was upgraded to hold from sell at ThinkEquity.
• Acxiom (ACXM) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Stephens.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: CBS, H, HOT, MT, NWS, WFC, XTO ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: CBS, H, HOT, MT, NWS, WFC, XTO ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 Dec 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

From TheStreet.com Network

• Good Managers Take Time: The Innovators
• Cisco Nails It, Sees Healing Economy

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: All I'm asking for is rigor

Cramer on BloggingStocks: All I'm asking for is rigor originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Founded in the late 1800s, Emerson Electric (NYSE: EMR) is now an industrial giant. The company has a variety of units that deal with things like network power, industrial management, appliances and tools, and climate technologies. Last year, revenues hit $24.8 billion, with net income of $2.4 billion.

To bolster its position, Emerson is targeting acquisitions, which look especially attractive at current valuations. And, the latest deal came today: the $1.2 billion purchase of Avocent (NASDAQ: AVCT).

Continue reading Emerson picks-up an energy efficient deal for $1.2 bln

Emerson picks-up an energy efficient deal for $1.2 bln originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

From TheStreet.com Network

• Fed Has Begun Bank Bonus Audit
• Ford Pushing Hard to Boost Sales in Asia

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: Weak dollar powering profits

Cramer on BloggingStocks: Weak dollar powering profits originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Wells Fargo transferred coverage of Cooper Industries (NYSE: CBE) with an Outperform rating, upgraded from the previous analysts' Market Perform rating. The firm believes commercial construction will be of less of a headwind for the company than the Street thinks, and has a $38-$41 valuation range on the stock.
• Kaufman Bros. upgraded SuccessFactors (NASDAQ: SFSF) to Buy from Hold after channel checks indicated demand trends picked up in July. The firm raised its target on shares to $15 from $12.
• UBS upgraded eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY) to Buy from Neutral and believes Marketplace transaction growth is "turning the corner." Additionally, the firm believes the secondary market represents a long-term opportunity for the company. The firm raised its target to $28 from $24.
• Novartis (NYSE: NVS) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Jefferies.
• Arcelor Mittal (NYSE: MT) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Citigroup.
• Cardinal Health (NYSE: CAH) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Goldman.
• Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform AMC Monday at Bernstein.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: CCL, CSX, EBAY, GLW, NFLX, YHOO ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: CCL, CSX, EBAY, GLW, NFLX, YHOO ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

From TheStreet.com Network

• Is It Safe? SunTrust Sees Clear Horizon
• GM Talking Opel With German Officials

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: Europe may be an unlikely savior here

Cramer on BloggingStocks: Europe may be an unlikely savior here originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 07 Jul 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

From TheStreet.com Network

• GM's Fate Still Yet To Be Decided
• Dough Rises at General Mills

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: The post-mark-up could sting industrials

Cramer on BloggingStocks: The post-mark-up could sting industrials originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

From TheStreet.com Network

• iPhone: Big Dummy Among Smart Phones
• Note to Detroit Three: Fuel Efficiency Pays

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: The return of the accidental high-yielders

Cramer on BloggingStocks: The return of the accidental high-yielders originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 23 Jun 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Keefe Bruyette upgraded Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) to Outperform from Market Perform due to valuation and the company's better balance sheet following capital raises. The firm raised its target on shares to $16.50.
  
• Merriman upgraded Blue Coat Systems (NASDAQ:BCSI) to Buy from Neutral to reflect stabilizing demand and merger synergies from the Packeteer acquisition.
  
• Thomas Weisel upgraded Genomic Health (NASDAQ:GHDX) to Overweight from Market Weight based on valuation, a new colon cancer assay expected in 2010, and upside from new sales hires.
• Plexus (NASDAQ:PLXS) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Baird.
  
• Great Plains Energy (NYSE:GXP) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Goldman.
  
• Ericsson (nASDAQ:ERIC) was upgraded at Societe Generale to Buy from Hold.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: BAC, ERIC, UNH, WRC

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: BAC, ERIC, UNH, WRC originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Friedman Billings upgraded Synovus (NYSE: SNV) to Market Perform from Underperform on valuation following the recent weakness. BASF (OTC: BASFY) and Akzo Nobel (OTC: AKZOY) were upgraded to Buy from Neutral at UBS on valuation and believes cash flows can cover the company's dividend.
• JP Morgan upgraded H.B. Fuller (NYSE: FUL) to Overweight from Neutral citing benefits from lower raw material costs.
• CA, Inc (NASDAQ: CA) was added to Goldman's Conviction Buy List.
• Goldman removed Boeing (NYSE: BA) from the Conviction Sell List.
• WABCO Holdings (NYSE: WBC) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at KeyBanc.

• Oppenheimer downgraded Giant Interactive (NYSE: GA) to Perform from Outperform following the company's Q3 results as they believe a recovery of revenue from ZT Online will take longer than expected.
• Friedman Billings cut Walter Industries (NYSE: WLT) to Market Perform from Outperform as they believe the decline in steel demand will pressure met coal prices. The company's target was lowered to $30 from $53.
• Citigroup downgraded shares of Atlas Pipeline (NYSE: AHD) Holdings to Sell from Hold as they believe the company could potentially be in violation of its debt covenants as early as Q1. The company's target was lowered to $4 from $31.
• Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) was removed from Goldman's Conviction Buy List.
• Dover (NYSE: DOV) and Emerson Electric (NYSE: EMR) were downgraded to Underweight from Neutral at JP Morgan.

Continue reading Analyst calls: SNV, BASFY, AKZOY, FUL, GA, WLT, AHD, OZM, HOG, MRK

Analyst calls: SNV, BASFY, AKZOY, FUL, GA, WLT, AHD, OZM, HOG, MRK originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ted Allrich is the founder of The Online Investor and author of the book: Comfort Zone Investing: Build Wealth and Sleep Well at Night. In this weekly column, he'll offer advice to investors who are just getting started.

We're all beaten to pulps with no nerve endings left. Losses are enormous, much more than ever imagined. If we owned Lehman Brothers or Washington Mutual or Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, we are stunned beyond comprehension.

Get over it. There are so many great opportunities in the market that if you stay in a catatonic stage, you'll miss some of the best buys ever. Yes, even with the recent historic rally.

Continue reading Comfort Zone Investing: Unless you think the world is ending, buy these

Comfort Zone Investing: Unless you think the world is ending, buy these originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 18 Oct 2008 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Piper upgraded Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) to Buy from Neutral to reflect the company's strong competitive position and low valuation. The firm does not expect Intel to miss Q3 estimates.
  
• Goldman upgraded shares of Deutsche Telecom (NYSE: DT) to Buy from Neutral and added the stock to the Conviction Buy List as they believe the dividend is well covered.
  
• Wachovia upgraded Landstar System (NASDAQ: LSTR) to Outperform from Market Perform on valuation and potential near-term catalysts from hurricane-related activities.
• Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF) was raised to Outperform from Market Perform at Friedman Billings.
  
• Research in Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) was upgraded at JMP Securities to Outperform from Market Perform.
  
• Baird lifted Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) to Neutral from Underperform.

• Jefferies downgraded VCA Antech (NASDAQ: WOOF) to Underperform from Buy as they believe reduced consumer spending and rising unemployment levels will hurt the company's hospital and lab volumes in FY09. The company's target was lowered to $25 from $35.
  
• Oppenheimer downgraded shares of Total System (NYSE: TSS) to Perform from Outperform to reflect the challenging macro environment and the customer portfolio risk from bank consolidation.

Continue reading Analyst calls: INTC, DT, ANF, RIMM, WFC, FITB, TDW, ROK ...

Analyst calls: INTC, DT, ANF, RIMM, WFC, FITB, TDW, ROK ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 30 Sep 2008 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Goldman upgraded shares of BP Plc (NYSE: BP) to Buy from Neutral on valuation as they believe the recent pullback provides an attractive entry point.
  
• VF Corp. (NYSE: VFC) was raised to Outperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse citing its acquisition platform and international growth. The company's target was increased to $100 from $88.
  
• Deutsche Bank upgraded shares of Tenet Healthcare (NYSE: THC) to Buy from Hold and increased its target to $8.50 from $7 to reflect increased confidence in the company's ability to beat expectations over the next 12 months and reduce its net debt.
• US Steel (NYSE: X) was raised to Sector Outperformer from Sector Performer at CIBC.
  
• United Technologies (NYSE: UTX) was upgraded at UBS to Buy from Neutral.

Analyst downgrades:

Continue reading Analyst calls: BP, HD, SOLR, UTX, X, VOD . . .

Analyst calls: BP, HD, SOLR, UTX, X, VOD . . . originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: Eventually, balance sheets will matter again

Cramer on BloggingStocks: Eventually, balance sheets will matter again originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Dividend growth has become increasingly scarce on Wall Street," says says Chuck Carlson, an expert on dividend reinvestment plans. In his The DRIP Investor he looks at two stocks boosting their payouts.

"For the first time in five years, the number of companies in 2007 boosting their dividends declined nearly
6% from the previous year, according to Standard & Poor's. And the slowdown in dividend growth continued in the first quarter of 2008.

"The first quarter marked the seventh consecutive three-month period of year-over-year declines in the number of companies raising dividends. Through the first three months of this year, 19% fewer companies raised dividends than in the year-earlier quarter.

"Even more alarming, 83 companies decreased their dividends during the fi rst quarter, according to S&P. That's up from just 19 in the same period in 2007 and is the highest number of dividend decreases since 1991.

"Nevertheless, there are still plenty of companies willing to boost their dividends, and you can now buy such companies at bargain prices.

Continue reading Dividend boosters: Emerson Electric (EMR) and United Technologies (UTX)

Dividend boosters: Emerson Electric (EMR) and United Technologies (UTX) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.