• Citigroup upgraded shares of Ball (NYSE: BLL) to Buy from Hold and raised its target to $45 from $41 as they believe recent capacity closures will be positive for beverage can operating rates.
  
• Deutsche Bank upgraded Rio Tinto (NYSE: RTP) to Buy from Hold on valuation and the company's plans to preserve cash.
• ThinkPanmure upgraded Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) to Accumulate from Sell and raised its target to $17 from $12 citing trough earnings in 2009 and lowered expectations.
• Viacom B (NYSE: VIA.B) was added to Goldman's Conviction Buy List.
  
• Telefonica (NYSE: TEF) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse.
  
• Onyx Pharma (NASDAQ: ONXX) was raised to Overweight from Neutral at JP Morgan.

Continue reading Analyst calls: RTP, INTC, VIA.B, TEF, BRCD, JBL, ERIC, CEPH ...

Analyst calls: RTP, INTC, VIA.B, TEF, BRCD, JBL, ERIC, CEPH ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Despite a negative GDP report coming in at -0.3% to begin that start of the recession, stocks actually spent most of the day in the black. The Treasury has finally started paying TARP funds out to large banks, and the second tier banks are next in line. Oil is contained, and an old and haggard looking T. Boone Pickens gave an interview this morning saying he was out of oil but thinks oil will go back to $100.00 next year.

Here are today's closing bell levels:
DJIA: 9,180.69 (+2.11%)
NASDAQ: 1,698.52 (+2.49)
S&P 500: 954.09 (+2.58)

Top Analyst Upgrades
Top Analyst Downgrades

Biogen Idec Inc. (NASDAQ: BIIB) shares were down over 5% at $39.68 right before the close, but that is better than the -1% at one point after yesterday's close. The biotech giant disclosed a US-case of PML that was detected early via MRI in one of its TYSABRI patients.

Continue reading Closing Bell: Stocks up, but feel mixed; BIIB, DBD, FDRY, JDSU, SYMC

Closing Bell: Stocks up, but feel mixed; BIIB, DBD, FDRY, JDSU, SYMC originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Minyanville Professor Sean Udall dares to share the kind of keen insight and actionable information you won't find in any prospectus. For more original thought, visit www.minyanville.com.

The Brocade Communications (NASDAQ: BRCD) deal is interesting for a couple reasons. First of all -- hey it's a deal. So yes, deals can still get done, even in this market.

Second, and more importantly, BRCD is paying $3 billion or almost exactly three times the cash and investments on Foundry Networks' (NASDAQ: FDRY) books. So in essence, 1/3 of the deal price is being funded by the liquidity of Foundry Networks balance sheet. Looking at the technology landscape, there are a whole bunch of companies that look like FDRY from a balance sheet perspective.

Also, this deal highlights the fact that even in a market full of angst, companies do look forward to see what business trends they want to exploit. My take is BRCD is seeing it wants a bigger part of the bandwidth pie going forward and the two companies may have complementary technology to help extend their current reach.

Brocade (BRCD) wheeling and dealing originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Merrill Lynch downgraded shares of Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN) to Neutral from Buy after the company reported lower-than-expected Q3 results due to concerns regarding elevated inventory levels and rising raw material and labor costs. Merrill lowered their target to $27 from $32.
  
• Citigroup cut SanDisk (NASDAQ: SNDK) to Sell from Hold after the company reported a Q2 miss and offered lower-than-expected guidance. Citigroup lowered their target price to $14 from $20.
  
• JMP Securities downgraded Brocade (NASDAQ: BRCD) to Market Perform from Outperform following the company's announcement to buy Foundry Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: FDRY) for $19.25 per share.

• ArthroCare (NASDAQ: ARTC) was lowered to Market Perform from Outperform at William Blair.
  
• JP Morgan downgraded Assured Guaranty (NYSE: AGO) and Lenovo Group (LNVGY) to Neutral from Overweight.
  
• iStar Financial (NYSE: SFI) was downgraded to Sell from Buy at UBS.
  
• Goldman removed Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD) from the Conviction Buy List.

Analyst downgrades: TXN, SNDK and BRCD originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Piper upgraded shares of PetMed Express (NASDAQ: PETS) to Neutral from Sell after the company's Q1 results topped estimates on strong new customer growth. Piper raised their target to $14 from $11.
  
• Oppenheimer raised Mindspeed (NASDAQ: MSPDD) to Outperform from Perform following the Q3 results, as they believe the company is hitting its stride in VoIP after years of investment and the stock is attractively valued.
  
• Citigroup upgraded QLogic (NASDAQ: QLGC) shares to Buy from Hold following the company's Q1 results and Brocade (NASDAQ: BRCD)'s acquisition of Foundry Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: FDRY) to reflect its solid fundamentals and the strategic significance of its switch business. The firm raised their target to $20 from $18.

• Goldman added Amylin Pharma (NASDAQ: AMLN) to the Conviction Buy List.
  
• Cleco (NYSE: CNL) was raised to Buy from Hold at Soleil.
  
• Canadian National Oil (NYSE: CNI) was upgraded at TD Newcrest to Buy from Hold.

Analyst upgrades: PETS, MSPDD and QLGC originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates MergerBook.com.

Brocade and Foundry switch on a $2.9 billion deal originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Foundry Networks (NASDAQ:FDRY) is up over 30% on a buy-out by Brocade (NASAQ:BRCD). Brocade is off nearly 20% on the same news.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is off 10% on a weak forecast for the next quarter.

Wachovia (NYSE:WB) is off 12% on poor earnings and a dividend cut.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) is down over 10% after reporting a weak quarter.

Texas Instrument (NYSE:TXN) is off over 10% on poor numbers.

Shares may trade differently in the pre-market than they do in the regular session.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com

Pre-market movers (AAPL) (WB) (AXP) (TXN) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Jul 2008 08:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

• Acuity Brands Inc. (NYSE: AYI) beat second-quarter estimates on increased productivity and new products.
• Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) cut its outlook and announced job cuts.
• Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA) missed first-quarter earnings estimates but beat revenue expectations.
• Circuit City Stores Inc. (NYSE: CC) surprised Wall Street by posting a second-quarter profit.
• Dell Inc.'s (NASDAQ: DELL) rosy 2008 forecast is based on cost cuts, overseas growth, share buybacks.
• DuPont & Co. (NYSE: DD) raised its first-quarter outlook on strength in agriculture and emerging markets.
• Eastman Chemical Co. (NYSE: EMN) raised its first-quarter guidance on strong sales and higher prices.
• EXFO Electro-Optical Engineering (NASDAQ: EXFO) beat estimates and announced an acquisition.
• Foundry Networks Inc. (NASDAQ: FDRY) slashed its first-quarter outlook, blaming the weak economy.
• Genentech Inc. (NYSE: DNA) beat first-quarter earnings estimates, but not revenue expectations.
• General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) missed earnings expectations and lowered its guidance.
• Novellus Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: NVLS) trimmed its first-quarter earnings and revenue forecasts.
• Progressive Corp. (NYSE: PGR) beat estimates though first-quarter profits fell due to lower premiums.
• Rite Aid Corp. (NYSE: RAD) swung to a loss in the fourth quarter on acquisition costs and a tax charge.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: GE, Alcoa, Circuit City, UPS, Dell, DuPont, AMD and others

Earnings highlights: GE, Alcoa, Circuit City, UPS, Dell, DuPont, AMD and others originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 12 Apr 2008 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Foundry Networks warns about weak first-quarter earnings

Foundry Networks warns about weak first-quarter earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 11 Apr 2008 16:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• JP Morgan downgraded Rockwell Automation Inc (NYSE: ROK) to Neutral from Overweight based on valuation, as the firm believes the recent credit market turbulence could make a material recapitalization less likely.
  
• Bear Stearns downgraded shares of Barclays (NYSE: BCS) to Underperform from Peer Perform on valuation and expectations for losses in the company's Capital division.
  
• Nollenberger downgraded shares of F5 Networks Inc (NASDAQ: FFIV) to Neutral from Buy, as they believe the company is transitioning from a "beat and raise" story to a "meet and maintain" story given the recent disruptions in the financial services sector and slowing growth in active web hosts on the net. The firm also downgraded shares of Foundry Networks Inc (NASDAQ: FDRY) to Neutral from Buy on valuation, seeing a well balanced risk/reward profile at current levels.
  
• Soleil downgraded shares of AMR Corporation (NYSE: AMR) to Hold from Buy to reflect the company's deteriorating revenue and non-fuel cost outlook.
  
• Red Hat Inc (NYSE: RHT) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Credit Suisse, citing lack of progress in execution.

• LDK Solar (NYSE: LDK) was downgraded at CIBC to Sector Performer from Outperformer.
  
• Friedman Billings downgraded Parker Hannifin Corporation (NYSE: PH) to Market Perform from Outperform.
  
• Morgan Keegan downgraded Cree Inc (NASDAQ: CREE) to Market Perform from Outperform.

Analyst downgrades: ROK, BCS, FFIV, FDRY, AMR and RHT originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 24 Sep 2007 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Cavium Networks was initiated with a Strong Buy rating and $25 target at JMP Securities. The firm's checks indicate significant momentum for Cavium's products and cites good visibility. Cavium was also initiated with a Market Weight rating at Thomas Weisel, which finds shares fairly-valued at current levels, with a Buy rating and $25 target at Needham, with an Equal Weight rating and $22 target at Lehman Brothers, with an Equal Weight rating at Morgan Stanley and with a Buy rating and $26 target at Deutsche Bank, which expects over 50% revenue growth from 2006-2009 due to the growth in the company's network processor product line.
• TravelCenters of America was initiated with a Buy rating and $54 target at Ferris Baker Watts and with a Buy rating and $70 target at BWS Financial, as the firm is positive on TA's earnings power and valuation.
• Citigroup initiated shares of MetroPCS with a Buy rating and $40 target. The firm believes the company's coupled with deepening penetration in its core markets should produce revenue and FCF growth that exceeds the maturing industry average.

• IntercontinentalExchange Inc (NYSE: ICE) was initiated with an Outperform rating at Credit Suisse.
• Janco initiated shares of Foundry Networks Inc (NASDAQ: FDRY) with a Buy rating and $19.50 target, as the firm believes the company's new products put it in a position to gain market share.
• CIBC World Markets initiated shares of Accuray Incorporated (NASDAQ: ARAY) with a Sector Underperformer rating and $19 target.

Analyst initiations 6-11-07: CAVM; TA and PCS originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 11 Jun 2007 10:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Prudential started Delta Airlines (NYSE: DAL) with an Underweight rating and $14 target citing valuation.

• Credit Suisse assumed coverage of Monster Worldwide (NASDAQ: MNST) with an Outperform rating and $60 target. The firm believes Monster is well-positioned to benefit from the growing shift of recruitment industry dollars to online, international expansion, and improving labor market trends.

• CNet Networks (NASDAQ: CNET) was started with a Buy rating and $11 target at Banc of America, believing the company is well-positioned to benefit from strong secular online advertising growth due to its leading online brands.

• AG Edwards initiated shares of Dendreon Corp (NASDAQ: DNDN) with a Hold rating.

• Citigroup started GSC Investment Corp (NYSE: GNV) with a Hold rating and $16 target while Wachovia started shares with an Outperform rating. JP Morgan started shares of GSC Investment with a Neutral rating.

• Kaufman started J2 Global Communications (NASDAQ: JCOM) with a Buy rating and $35 target.

• Cowen assumed coverage of Foundry Networks, Inc (NASDAQ: FDRY) with a Neutral rating.

Analyst initiations 5-03-07: CNET, DAL and MNST originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 03 May 2007 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• SanDisk Corp (NASDAQ: SNDK) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at UBS with a $53 target, as they believe Apple's (AAPL) new 16GB & 32GB iPod Video products will be NAND flash based. The firm expects SanDisk shares to perform as Apple's products ramp.

• Deutsche Bank upgraded shares of CVS Corp (NYSE: CVS) to Buy from Hold with a $42 target as they believe the bidding process for Caremark Rx, Inc (NYSE: CMX) is over, reducing concerns.

• Prudential upgraded shares of Dow Jones & Co (NYSE: DJ) to Neutral from Underweight to reflect valuation and the company's strong 2007 outlook.

• Piper Jaffray upgraded DaVita Inc (NYSE: DVA) to Outperform from Market Perform with a $59 target on valuation.

• Citigroup upgraded Adolor Corp (NASDAQ: ADLR) to Hold from Sell with a $10 target to reflect GlaxoSmithKline's (NYSE: GSK) plans for an additional advanced study of Entereg.

• Wachovia upgraded shares of Symmetry Medical Inc (NYSE: SMA) based on analysis that shows inventory levels have fallen at large-cap orthopedics firms while capital expenditures have stabilized, competitors are more upbeat on market outlook, and checks that indicate the supplier market has stabilized.

• Foundry Networks, Inc (NASDAQ: FDRY) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Bank of America.

• JP Morgan upgraded Alaska Communications Systems Group (NASDAQ: ALSK) to Outperform from Neutral on valuation.

• Goldman Sachs upgraded PPG Industries (NYSE: PPG) to Buy from Neutral with an $82 target.

• Merrill Lynch upgraded shares of Expedia, Inc (NASDAQ: EXPE) to Buy from Neutral with a $27 target.

• Matrix USA upgraded AMR Corp (NYSE: AMR) to Hold from Sell on valuation.

Analyst upgrades 3-13-07: CVS Corp, Expedia and SanDisk upgraded today originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 13 Mar 2007 11:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.