ffiv posts
FeedPosted Apr 1st 2011 4:20PM by Jon Ogg (RSS feed)
Filed under: After the Bell, Ford Motor (F), NYSE Euronext (NYX), Office Depot (ODP), NASDAQ, Paychex Inc (PAYX)

The market hit a high for 2011 today after the unemployment rate fell to 8.8% and after the economy created about 216,000 jobs. The Institute of Supply Management showed a slight drop for March, but investors were positive most of the day. Selling in the last 90 minutes of the day felt a bit surprising -- but that may be nothing more than pre-weekend profit taking.
Here were today's unofficial closing bell levels:
Dow Jones: 12,376.72 +56.99 (0.46%)
Nasdaq: 2,789.60 +8.53 (0.31%)
S&P500: 1,332.41 +6.58 (0.50%)
Continue reading Closing Bell: Starting Off Q2 (AIB, F, FFIV, LOGM, NYX, ODP, PAYX)
Posted Jan 20th 2011 12:00PM by Eric Buscemi (RSS feed)
Filed under: Analyst Reports, Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades, Clorox Co (CLX), Colgate-Palmolive (CL), Goldman Sachs Group (GS), Procter and Gamble (PG), Analyst Initiations
Analyst Upgrades
- Micron (MU) to buy from neutral at UBS.
- Baker Hughes (BHI) to outperform from market perform at BMO Capital.
- PDL BioPharma (PDLI) to outperform from sector perform at RBC Capital.
- Fluor (FLR) and Rush Enterprises (RUSHA) to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
- Camden Property (CPT) to outperform from neutral at Macquarie.
- Pinnacle Financial (PNFP) to buy from hold at Wunderlich.
- Linear Technology (LLTC) to neutral from reduce at Nomura.
- Hologic (HOLX) and Illumina (ILMN) to buy from hold at Citigroup.
- F5 Networks (FFIV) to buy from neutral at Gleacher.
Continue reading Analyst Calls: ALTR, BHI, CL, CLX, FFIV, GS, HCBK, LLTC, PG, STT, TYC ...
Posted Jul 19th 2010 11:00AM by Eric Buscemi (RSS feed)
Filed under: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades, Yahoo! (YHOO), Analyst Initiations, Juniper Networks (JNPR), BHP Billiton Ltd ADR (BHP), Anglo American (AAUKY)
Analyst upgrades:
- ThinkEquity upgraded Yahoo! (YHOO) to Buy from Hold based on valuation, checks that indicate Q2 display/search improvement, search stabilization, improved cost structure, and share repurchases.
- Societe Generale upgraded Roche Holding (RHHBY) to Buy from Hold based on expectations Avastin will be approved in breast cancer, despite negative FDA briefing documents.
- FBR Capital upgraded Atheros (ATHR) to Outperform from Market Perform based on valuation and positive checks that indicate powerline networking chips are gaining traction in China. The firm has a $43 price target on the stock.
- Juniper (JNPR) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Canaccord.
- Ultimate Software (ULTI) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Roth Capital.
- Liberty Property Trust (LRY) was upgraded to Market Perform at Wells Fargo.
Analyst downgrades:
- Auriga downgraded ADC Telecomm (ADCT) to Hold from Buy following the company's merger announcement with Tyco Electronics (TEL).
- TD Newcrest expects Manulife's (MFC) Q2 loss to be worse than expected due to the impact from lower interest rates. The firm cut shares to Hold from Buy.
- Goldman downgraded Perrigo (PRGO) to Sell from Neutral and lowered its target to $50 from $61. The firm cites relative valuation for the downgrade. Target to $50 from $61.
- F5 Networks (FFIV) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Canaccord.
- Anglo American (AAUKY) and BHP Billiton (BHP) were downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Analyst initiations:
- QKL Stores (QKLS) was initiated with a Buy rating and $7 price target at Global Hunter.
- Rodman & Renshaw started Rick's Cabaret (RICK) with an Outperform rating.
Posted May 27th 2010 12:00PM by Eric Buscemi (RSS feed)
Filed under: Analyst Reports, Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades, Microsoft (MSFT), Starbucks (SBUX), McDonald's (MCD), BP p.l.c. ADS (BP), Analyst Initiations
Analyst Upgrades
- FBR Capital upgraded Microsoft (MSFT) to outperform from market perform, citing valuation and the ongoing corporate PC cycle refresh. The firm upped its target for shares to $32 from $31.
- Oppenheimer upgraded BP (BP) to outperform from perform with a $55 price target as it sees greater upside potential than downside risk from the oil spill.
- Wunderlich upgraded Stericycle (SRCL) to hold from sell and raised its target for shares to $50 from $42, citing the company's alliance with Republic Services (RSG).
- Illinois Tool Works (ITW) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
- GameStop (GME) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Janney Montgomery.
- Fluor (FLR) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Goldman.
Continue reading Analyst Calls: BP, BSMD, CKR, CSX, MCD, MSFT, PCP, SBUX, SRCL ...
Posted Jan 21st 2010 11:30AM by Eric Buscemi (RSS feed)
Filed under: Analyst Reports, Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades, Starbucks (SBUX), Morgan Stanley (MS), Analyst Initiations, Wells Fargo (WFC)
Analyst Upgrades
- FBR Capital upgraded Wells Fargo (WFC) to market perform from underperform and raised its target on shares to $26 from $21 following the company's better-than-expected quarter.
- Deutsche Bank upgraded Starbucks (SBUX) to buy from hold following the company's better-than-expected Q1 results. The firm raised its target price on shares to $30 from $19.
- UBS upgraded Dreamworks (DWA) to buy from neutral, citing upside from its upcoming film releases. The firm raised its target to $50 from $35.
- Colgate (CL) was upgraded to conviction buy from buy at Goldman.
- F5 Networks (FFIV) was upgraded to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
- Applied Industrial (AIT) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Stephens.
Continue reading Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades and Initiations: ADS, CL, DWA, MON, MS, SBUX, WFC ...
Posted Dec 11th 2009 10:00AM by Laurie Pasternack (RSS feed)
Filed under: Analyst Reports, Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades, Yahoo! (YHOO), Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A), Nokia Corp. (NOK), Analyst Initiations, Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNI), AOL (AOL)
Analyst Upgrades
- Kaufman Bros. upgraded Yahoo! (YHOO) to buy from hold after channel checks indicated display advertising is seeing continued improvement in pricing and demand. The firm finds the risk/reward profile on Yahoo! shares attractive at current levels and raised its price target on the stock to $20 from $19.
- Citigroup upgraded Edwards Lifesciences (EW) to buy from hold following the company's investor meeting as it believes new product launches will serve as catalysts in 2010. Citi raised its target on shares to $101 from $72.
- Deutsche Bank upgraded BWAY Holding (BWY) to buy from hold following the company's Q4 results and raised its target on shares to $22 from $17.
- Clearwire (CLWR) was upgraded to buy from sell at Soleil.
- Nokia (NOK) was raised to hold from sell at Societe Generale.
- NCR Corp. (NCR) was upgraded at JPMorgan to overweight from neutral.
Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: YHOO, EW, BWY, BRO, BNI, FFIV, AOL, CYPB, ATML ...
Posted Nov 20th 2009 11:40AM by Eric Buscemi (RSS feed)
Filed under: Analyst Reports, Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades, Intel (INTC), Analyst Initiations
Analyst upgrades:
- Pali Capital upgraded Lazard (LAZ) to buy from neutral, citing a healthy restructuring environment, improving M&A and strength in the asset management segment. The firm has a $46 target on shares.
- Baird upgraded Scansource (SCSC) to outperform from neutral, citing strength in the channel business and growth drivers from improved telephony and security. The firm has a $30 target on shares.
- Citigroup upgraded Liberty Interactive (LINTA) to buy from hold, citing the company's QVC unit's return to growth. The firm raised its target on shares to $13.25 from $12.
- Hess Corp (HES) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.
- Vulcan Materials (VMC) was upgraded to buy from neutral at UBS.
- Dillard's (DDS) was upgraded to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: BRCM, D, FRED, INTC, LAZ, SCSC ...
Posted Oct 16th 2009 11:40AM by Eric Buscemi (RSS feed)
Filed under: Analyst Reports, Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades, Google (GOOG), Walgreen Co (WAG), Harley-Davidson (HOG), Analyst Initiations
Analyst upgrades:
- Keefe Bruyette upgraded Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE) to Outperform from Market Perform on expectations that derivatives trading will increase in the coming quarters.
- NutriSystem (NASDAQ: NTRI) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral by Janney Montgomery, which believes that the company's earnings have hit bottom, while the company could report better-than-expected Q1 results.
- Harley-Davidson (NYSE: HOG) was upgraded to Outperform from Sector Perform at RBC Capital. The firm thinks the company is an early-cycle story that has significant upside potential.
- UBS upgraded Walgreen (NYSE: WAG) to Buy from Neutral citing cost cutting efforts and slowing store growth.
- Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Benchmark Co.
- Safeway (NYSE: SWY) was upgraded to Buy from Hold by BB&T.
- Needham upgraded Targacept (NASDAQ: TRGT) to Buy from Hold.
- Sierra Wireless (NASDAQ: SWIR) was raised to Buy from Hold at Jesup & Lamont.
Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: GOOG, HOG, NOK, SWY, WAG, WSM ...
Posted Oct 13th 2009 11:10AM by Eric Buscemi (RSS feed)
Filed under: Analyst Reports, Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades, Citigroup Inc. (C), Goldman Sachs Group (GS), Analyst Initiations
Analyst upgrades:
- Credit Suisse upgraded Stancorp (NYSE: SFG) to Outperform from Neutral citing relative valuation and EPS visibility.
- Jefferies upgraded Cypress Semiconductor (NYSE: CY) to Hold from Underperform after its channel checks indicated the company's capacitive touch screen solution has design traction. The firm raised its target on shares to $10 from $7.50.
- FBR Capital upgraded Pacific Sunwear (NASDAQ: PSUN) to Outperform from Market Perform to reflect improving store channel checks, the company's brand focus and controlled inventory, as well as the firm's belief that guidance could be conservative. FBR raised its target on shares to $9 from $6.
- Advanced Micro (NYSE: AMD) was upgraded to Market Perform from Underperform at JMP Securities.
- Lam Research (NASDAQ: LRCX) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Barclays.
- Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at RBS.
Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AMD, C, GAP, GS, MET, PSUN, USB ...
Posted Sep 9th 2009 11:20AM by Eric Buscemi (RSS feed)
Filed under: Analyst Reports, Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades, Morgan Stanley (MS), duPont(E.I.)deNemours (DD), Analyst Initiations
Analyst upgrades:
- Citigroup upgraded Capital One (NYSE: COF) to Buy from Hold as it believes the credit cycle is starting to recover for U.S. credit cards and an improving economy will support bank credit stabilization. The firm raised its target on shares to $44 from $28.
- JPMorgan upgraded Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) to Overweight from Neutral on valuation and believes the stock market recovery will serve as a catalyst.
- Deutsche Bank upgraded F5 Networks (NASDAQ: FFIV) to Buy from Hold after its channel checks indicated a sooner-than-expected order ramp and stabilizing pricing trends. The firm raised its target on shares to $46 from $39.
- COTT Corp. (NYSE: COT) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at UBS.
- Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX) was upgraded to Equal Weight from Underweight at Barclays.
- Illinois Tool Works (NYSE: ITW) was upgraded to Conviction Buy from Neutral at Goldman.
Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: BX, COF, DD, MS, VMC, WM, ZION ...
Posted Jul 31st 2009 11:30AM by Eric Buscemi (RSS feed)
Filed under: Analyst Reports, Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades, Cisco Systems (CSCO), Motorola (MOT), Walt Disney (DIS), Analyst Initiations
Analyst upgrades:
- Morgan Keegan upgraded Motorola (NYSE: MOT) to Outperform from Market Perform due to the increased visibility of Android-based launches, as well as the stock's valuation.
- OfficeMax (NYSE: OMX) was upgraded to Buy from Hold by Citigroup, which cited the company's stabilizing sales trend, accelerating share gains, and valuation.
- Kaufman Bros. upgraded iRobot (NASDAQ: IRBT) to Buy from Hold on valuation.
- Cancaccord upgraded Rio Tinto (NYSE: RTP) to Buy from Hold citing the turnaround in the aluminum business and its exposure to copper.
- Wells Fargo upgraded Smith & Nephew (NYSE: SNN) to Market Perform from Underperform.
- BT Group (NYSE: BT) was upgraded to Neutral from Reduce by Nomura.
- Societe Generale raised L'Oreal (OTC: LRLCY) to Buy from Sell.
- Franklin Resources (NYSE: BEN) was upgraded to Buy from Hold by Sandler O'Neill.
Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: DIS, CSCO, K, MOT, OMX, RTP ...
Posted Jul 23rd 2009 11:00AM by Eric Buscemi (RSS feed)
Filed under: Analyst Reports, Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades, Analyst Initiations
Analyst upgrades:
- Citigroup upgraded Robert Half (NYSE: RHI) to Hold from Sell following the company's Q2 results, believing the worst may be behind the company. Citi raised its target on shares to $24 from $18.
- Goldman upgraded AnnTaylor (NYSE: ANN) to Buy from Neutral and raised its target to $13 from $6.50, citing improved merchandising and inventories.
- Baird upgraded TrueBlue (NYSE: TBI) to Outperform from Underperform and raised its target to $12 from $9, citing the better-than-expected Q2 report and guidance, strong balance sheet, and valuation.
- F5 Networks (NASDAQ: FFIV) was upgraded to Neutral from Underperform at BofA/Merrill.
- Credit Suisse (NYSE: CS) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Deutsche Bank.
- Sanmina (NASDAQ: SANM) was upgraded to Neutral from Underperform at Credit Suisse.
Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ANN, CS, MCO, NRG, RHT, TJX ...
Posted Apr 23rd 2009 10:20AM by Eric Buscemi (RSS feed)
Filed under: Analyst Reports, Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades, Apple Inc (AAPL), International Business Machines (IBM), Morgan Stanley (MS), BP p.l.c. ADS (BP), QUALCOMM Inc (QCOM), Analyst Initiations, Broadcom Corp'A' (BRCM), Teva Pharm Indus ADR (TEVA)
Analyst upgrades:
- Jefferies upgraded Brocade (NASDAQ: BRCD) to Buy from Hold on expectations expanding OEM partnerships, new products and entry into new markets will drive long-term growth. The firm's channel checks indicate the first phase of an IBM (NYSE: IBM) deal for ethernet products will be announced next week. Jefferies raised its target price on the stock to $6 from $3.50.
- JMP Securities upgraded Broadcom (NASDAQ: BRCM) to Market Perform from Underperform citing the potential settlement with Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM). The firm said Broadcom has far more to gain than Qualcomm has to lose.
- Citigroup upgraded Air Products (NYSE: APD) and Praxair (NYSE: PX) to Buy from Hold on expectations that an improvement in customer operating rates will benefit gas companies. The firm raised its target price on Air Products to $70 from $55 and on Praxair to $79 from $63.
- Royal Bank of Scotland upgraded BP Plc (NYSE: BP) to Buy from Hold to reflect its dividend yield at current levels.
- Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) was raised to Outperform from Underperform at RBC Capital.
- T. Rowe Price (NYSE: TROW) was upgraded at Sandler O'Neill to Hold from Sell.
- Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) was lifted to Neutral from Underperform at Banc of America/Merrill.
Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: QCOM, AAPL, IBM, BP, MS, VMW, TVA ...
Posted Apr 1st 2009 11:15AM by Eric Buscemi (RSS feed)
Filed under: Analyst Reports, Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades, FedEx Corp (FDX), BP p.l.c. ADS (BP), Analyst Initiations, BHP Billiton Ltd ADR (BHP), Raytheon Company (RTN)
Analyst upgrades:
- Morgan Stanley upgraded CNOOC Ltd (NYSE: CEO) to Equal Weight from Underweight to reflect higher crude oil price estimates.
- Goldman upgraded VMware (NYSE: VMW) to Conviction Buy from Neutral and raised its target to $29 from $27 following positive checks that indicate strong business actively. The analyst expects VMW's revenue growth to be up 9% in 2009 vs. expectations for overall IT spending to be down.
- UBS upgraded ON Semiconductor (NASDAQ: ONNN) to Buy from Neutral and raised its target to $5 from $3.80 based on positive Asia checks that indicate an improving demand outlook and that the company could beat near-term expectations.
- Vodafone (NYSE: VOD) was lifted to Buy from Neutral at Goldman and to Overweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley.
- Ashland (NYSE: ASH) was raised to Overweight from Neutral at JP Morgan.
Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: VMW, VOD, BP, BHP, RTN, FDX ...
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