Analyst Upgrades

• Heico (HEI) to outperform from market perform at FBR Capital.
• Eaton (ETN), Silgan Holdings (SLGN), MYR Group (MYRG) and Shaw Group (SHAW) to outperform from neutral at RW Baird.
• Infosys (INFY) to buy from Neutral at Nomura.
• Isle of Capri (ISLE) to buy from neutral at Merriman.
• NovaGold (NG) to sector perform from underperform at RBC Capital.
• CarMax (KMX) and Rockwell Collins (COL) to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.
• DHT Holdings (DHT) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Cabot Oil & Gas (COG) to overweight from underweight at Morgan Stanley.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: CB, COL, ETN, FCX, FRO, INFY, KMX, NAT, SHAW, SON ...

Analyst Calls: CB, COL, ETN, FCX, FRO, INFY, KMX, NAT, SHAW, SON ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Dominion (D) to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• Corinthian Colleges (COCO) to outperform from underperform at RBC Capital.
• Canadian National (CNI) to sector outperformer from sector performer at CIBC.
• DragonWave (DRWI) to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• Infosys (INFY) to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.
• SL Green Realty (SLG), Lexington Realty (LXP) and Taubman Centers (TCO) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Sunstone Hotel (SHO) to buy from neutral and Extra Space Storage (EXR) to buy from hold at KeyBanc.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AEP, CCL, CNI, D, FDX, HAS, INFY, MAT, RCL, S, T, UPS, VZ ...

Analyst Calls: AEP, CCL, CNI, D, FDX, HAS, INFY, MAT, RCL, S, T, UPS, VZ ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 14 Jan 2011 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

• Aetna Inc. (AET) shares declined after the insurer issued a surprise earnings warning for 2010.
• Alcoa Inc. (AA) swung to a smaller-than-expected Q4 profit even as revenue declined, sending shares lower.
• Carter's Inc. (CRI) posted strong Q3 earnings that topped estimates and same-store sales growth.
• Chevron Corp. (CVX) shares declined slightly after the company issued a surprise earnings warning.
• Con-Way Inc. (CNW) was downgraded due in part to concerns about near-term earnings.

Continue reading Earnings Highlights: Aetna, Alcoa, Chevron, Intel, JPMorgan, KB Home, Sealy ...

Earnings Highlights: Aetna, Alcoa, Chevron, Intel, JPMorgan, KB Home, Sealy ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 16 Jan 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Infosys Technologies Limited (INFY), a tech concern based in India that provides solutions in the IT field, has been extremely popular over the last year. The price for the American Depositary Share (ADS) is near a 52-week high. Earlier in the week, the company released its Q3 report. The market did not seem disappointed.

The top line expanded by over 5% on a year-over-year basis. Earnings per diluted ADS weren't as impressive, rising only 1.7% to 59 cents. That percentage gain translates to a mere penny increase. Net profit on a dollar basis was flat.

Continue reading Infosys Reports Flat Income, but Shares Are Technically Strong

Infosys Reports Flat Income, but Shares Are Technically Strong originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 13 Jan 2010 18:00:00 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.

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

• Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA) reported a surprise Q3 profit due to cost cutting; revenue topped estimates as well.
• Avis Budget Group Inc. (NYSE: CAR) said a proposed offering of $250 million in notes could reduce earnings.
• Clorox Co. (NYSE: CLX) earnings prospects garnered it an upgrade from one analyst.
• Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) earnings prospects resulted in an upgrade from one analyst.
• Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ: COST) lower Q4 earnings topped analysts' expectations, lifting shares.
• Family Dollar Stores Inc. (NYSE: FDO) higher Q4 earnings beat analysts' estimates but sales were just OK.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Alcoa, Costco, Family Dollar, Marriott, PepsiCo, Yum! Brands ...

Earnings highlights: Alcoa, Costco, Family Dollar, Marriott, PepsiCo, Yum! Brands ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 10 Oct 2009 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Infosys made 56 cents per American Depositary Share. The call was for 50 cents. Net sales were $1.15 billion, slightly higher than projections on Wall Street. That sounds okay, right? We even had an outlook that was better than expected, too. Everything appears to have fallen in place for Infosys.

Continue reading Infosys wins analyst game in Q2, but that's not enough for investors

Infosys wins analyst game in Q2, but that's not enough for investors originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Infosys Technologies (NASDAQ: INFY) increased its first quarter profits by 17% by tapping new markets and wrangling in 27 new clients, according to the Financial Times. The second-largest software services exporter in India, Infosys even scored some major clients, such as Waitrose, a top-shelf food retailer in the United Kingdom. Tough economic conditions can tend to favor companies that provide outsourcing services -- as well as consulting services with high, easily justifiable returns on investments (ROIs).

Nonetheless, this is a competitive space, and Infosys did caution that IBM (NYSE: IBM), Accenture (NYSE: ACN) and Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) will be formidable global foes. With the announcement, Infosys increased the lower end of its forecast for the year, expecting revenues to fall in the $4.45 billion to $4.52 billion range.

Continue reading Infosys profits up 17%, long-term looks great

Infosys profits up 17%, long-term looks great originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 10 Jul 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

ICICI Bank (NYSE: IBN), India's second largest bank, closed at $20.99. India is currently holding general elections -- the largest democratic election in the world -- to the 15th Lok Sabha. The results will be announced on May 16, 2009. IBN June option implied volatility of 85 is below its 26-week average of 95, according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price movement.

Infosys (NASDAQ: INFY), a technology services firm based in India, closed at $30.36. INFY June option implied volatility is at 47, July is at 50; below its 26-week average of 61, according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price movement.

Option Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

Options Update: ICICI Bank volatility low into results of Indian general elections originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 14 May 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

ICICI Bank (NYSE: IBN) India's second largest bank IBN, closed at $13.29. India will hold general elections to the 15th Lok Sabha in 5 phases on April 16, April 22, April 23, April 30, May 7 and May 13, 2009. The results of the election will be announced in single phase on May 16, 2009. IBN May call option implied volatility is at 118, puts are at 94. IBN average option implied volatility over the last 26-weeks is 98, according to Track Data.

Infosys (NASDAQ: INFY) is scheduled to report Q4 results on April 15. INFY, a technology services firm based in India, closed at $26.63. INFY April option implied volatility is at 70, May is at 65; near its 26-week average of 67, according to Track Data, suggesting non-directional price movement.

Option Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com

Options Update: ICICI Bank call volatility at 118 into Indian general elections originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 01 Apr 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The new earnings season ramps up this week as Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA) reports fourth-quarter results. Last week, the Pittsburgh-based producer of aluminum and alumina announced layoffs and production cuts as a reaction to the economic downturn. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect that Alcoa will have swung to its first quarterly loss in years: $0.10 per share. That compares to a profit of $0.36 per share in the same period of the previous year. Revenues for the quarter are expected to have fallen 28.8% from a year ago to $5.3 billion. For 2008, analysts are looking for earnings of $1.40 per share on revenue of $27.6 billion, down from $2.60 per share and $30.8 billion in the previous year. Alcoa missed earnings estimates in three of the past five quarters, by 25.4% in the third quarter. The consensus recommendation of analysts shifted from buy to hold AA during the past quarter. The share price has been climbing in recent weeks, but it is 65.6% lower than a year ago.

Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) is also scheduled to report fourth-quarter results this week, one of a handful of tech stocks to do so. The number one semiconductor maker is expected to post earnings down 86.8% to $0.05 per share, and sales of $8.2 billion, down 23.3% from a year ago. Last week, Intel forecast sales for the quarter of $8.2 billion. The full-year numbers are expected to be marginally lower than a year ago, or $0.94 per share on $37.7 billion. Intel only missed earnings estimates in one of the past five quarters. Shares are about $2.00 higher than the 52-week low, but 37.2% lower than a year ago.

Continue reading The week in preview: Alcoa, Intel kick off new earnings season

The week in preview: Alcoa, Intel kick off new earnings season originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 11 Jan 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Satyam (NYSE: SAY) is recently trading at $1.44 in pre-open trading, below its close of $9.35. SAY Chairman Ramalinga Raju resigned after saying he falsified earnings and assets at India's fourth-largest software services provider. SAY January option implied volatility closed at 121, February at 114; above its 26-week average of 87, according to Track Data, suggesting larger price fluctuations.

Infosys (NASDAQ: INFY), a technology services firm based in India, closed at $26.60. INFY is scheduled to report Q3 EPS on January 12. INFY January 27.5 straddle is priced at $2.80, February 27.5 straddle is priced at $4.90. February option implied volatility of 63 is near its 26-week average according to Track Data, suggesting larger price movement.

Wipro Ltd (NYSE: WIT), a technology services company based in India, closed at $8.41. WIT is expected to report Q3 EPS in mid January. WIT February call option implied volatility is at 78, puts are at 86; near its 26-week average of 80, according to Track Data, suggesting non-directional price movement.

Option Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com

Options Update: Satyam volatility elevated; shares collapse on accounting fraud originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 07 Jan 2009 08:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

With all the media buildup leading up to the Olympic Games in Beijing this past summer, just about everyone and their brother was bullish on the China/India emerging market theme.

"Chindia," as it was coined, was supposed to be the next great economic wonder.

The belief that these markets did not need American demand swept international investment circles. Forecasts of double-digit GDP growth continuing for the next several years became the mantra of emerging market funds, and Wall Street analysts got caught up in the commodity bubble, which burst a month before the Olympic torch was lit.

The widely held belief of global economists was that these two sleeping giant economies would lap America in a matter of a few years, as per all the economic extrapolations and white papers published leading up to the Summer Games.

Stocks like Baidu.com (NASDAQ: BIDU), China Mobil (NYSE: CHL), China Life (NYSE: LFC), Huaneng Power (NYSE: HNP), PetroChina (NYSE: PTR), Infosys (NASDAQ: INFY) and Reliance Industries (not listed) seemed bulletproof given the revenue and earnings models being floated by the Chindia bulls.

Continue reading Best Trades of 2008: #1 Shorting 'Chindia' the day after New Year's

Best Trades of 2008: #1 Shorting 'Chindia' the day after New Year's originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 31 Dec 2008 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

ICICI Bank (NYSE: IBN), India's second largest bank IBN, closed at $13.21 Wednesday. IBN December option implied volatility of 143 is above its 26-week average of 82 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price fluctuations.

Infosys (NASDAQ: INFY), a technology services firm based in India, closed at $24.31 Wednesday. INFY December option implied volatility of 91 is above its 26-week average of 59 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price movement.

Satyam Computer Services (NYSE: SAY), a technology solution provider based in India, closed at $12.62 Wednesday. SAY over all option implied volatility of 85 is above its 26-week average of 76 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price fluctuations.

Wipro Ltd (NYSE: WIT), a technology services company based in India, closed at $7.47 Wednesday. WIT over all option implied volatility of 83 is above its 26-week average of 71 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price movement.

The Sensex rose 0.7 percent to 9,092.72 at the close in Mumbai India, the highest in almost two weeks.

Option Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com

Options Update: Volatility elevated for India-based companies; IBN, SAY, INFY, WIT originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 28 Nov 2008 08:48:00 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.

Infosys flexes its M&A muscles originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Infosys (NASDAQ: INFY), a technology services firm based in India, closed at $40.80 Tuesday. INFY chief executive said: "We are not seeing any trends towards driving prices downwards. There is (however) uncertainty about when the macro-environment will turn around" Down Jones. INFY overall option implied volatility of 43 is near its 26-week average according to Track Data, suggesting non-directional risk.

Satyam Computer Services (NYSE: SAY), a technology solution provider based in India, closed at $21.91 Tuesday. SAY overall option implied volatility of 53 is near its 26-week average, suggesting non-directional price fluctuations.

Wipro Ltd (NYSE: WIT), a technology services company based in India, closed at $11.60 Tuesday. Goldman Sachs raised its rating to Neutral from Buy on August 19. WIT overall option implied volatility of 50 is near its 26-week average of 47, suggesting non-directional price movement.

Option Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com

Option Update: India technology services firms' volatility flat (INFY, SAY, WIT) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 20 Aug 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Infosys (NASDAQ: INFY), an Indian computer services provider, closed at $46.77 Tuesday.

Stifel Nicolaus says: "Raising estimates due to tax holiday extension; maintain Hold."

INFY overall option implied volatility of 42 is near its 26-week average according to Track Data, suggesting non-directional risk.

Satyam Computer Services (NYSE: SAY), an technology solution provider based in India, closed at $27.21 Tuesday.

Stifel Nicolaus says: "We are raising our CY09 EPS estimates for SAY to reflect recent passage of a 1-year tax holiday extension."

SAY overall option implied volatility of 48 is below its 26-week average of 52, suggesting decreasing price fluctuations.

Option Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com

Option Update: Indian technology companies rally on tax holiday extension originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 04 Jun 2008 10:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"I expect India-based Infosys (NASDAQ: INFY), one of our 'Global Core' holdings, to be one of our big winners in the year ahead," says John Christy.

The editor of the Forbes International Investing Report explains, "The company kicked off earnings reporting season with an 18% net income growth during the quarter. These earnings were in line with expectations. Of course, simply meeting expectations is never good enough for Wall Street, so INFY shares tumbled on the news.

"Infosys also revised its full-year EPS estimate upward to $1.99 per ADR, but again this wasn't good enough -- I guess some folks were expecting a bigger revision.

"The main concern continues to be the strength of the Indian rupee, which is close to a 10-year high. This is a fair point, but 18% earnings growth in the face of a stiff headwind from the rupee is pretty good in my book. And Infosys actually reported higher margins on an operating basis.

"Most importantly, we need to keep the big picture in perspective. Even the skeptics would agree that Infosys is one of the strongest and best-managed companies in the emerging markets universe."

Continue reading Infosys (INFY): Poised to be a 'big winner'

Infosys (INFY): Poised to be a 'big winner' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 02 Nov 2007 10:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Oppenheimer started shares of Shutterfly Inc (NASDAQ: SFLY) with a Buy rating and $42 target. The firm believes secular growth in digital photography and increasing adoption of user generated print publishing will drive EBITDA growth of 30%-40% over the next 2-3 years.
  
• Oppenheimer also initiated Drugstore.com Inc (NASDAQ: DSCM) with a Buy rating and $5 target, as they expect growth in the company's higher margin beauty segment could drive EBITDA above consensus estimates.
  
• Baird is positive on S.Y. Bancorp Inc's (NASDAQ: SYBT) valuation, capital-rich balance sheet, and top-tier profitability and resumed coverage with an Outperform rating.
  
• The firm also started shares of Stericycle Inc (NASDAQ: SRCL) with a Neutral rating, noting it would be more aggressive on shares in the mid-$40s or if earnings catch up with the passing of time.

• UBS initiated Praxair Inc (NYSE: PX) with a Buy rating and $94 target and added shares to its Strategic Stock Selection List.
  
• Lehman initiated Infosys Technologies Ltd (NASDAQ: INFY) with an Equal Weight rating and Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT) with an Underweight rating.
  
• William Blair reinstated coverage of the commercial real estate services sector, starting FirstService Corporation (NASDAQ: FSRV) with an Outperform rating, Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated (NYSE: JLL) with a Market Perform rating and CB Richard Ellis Group Inc (NYSE: CBG) with a Market Perform rating.

Analyst initiations: SFLY, DSCM, SYBT and SRCL originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 10 Oct 2007 11:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Wachovia initiated shares of Dell (NASDAQ: DELL), Micron (NYSE: MU) and Nokia (NYSE: NOK) with Outperform ratings and IBM (NYSE: IBM), AMD (NYSE: AMD) and Motorola (NYSE: MOT) with Market Perform ratings.
  
• CIBC started shares of Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) and Infosys (NASDAQ: INFY) with Sector Outperformer ratings and a $100 target and $60 target, respectively. The firm views risk/reward as favorable.
  
• Merriman initiated Silicom Ltd (NASDAQ: SILC) with a Neutral rating, citing valuation and low visibility into the quarter.

• BMO Capital started shares of Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) with an Outperform rating.
  
• Solei initiated Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ: LECO) with a Buy rating and $114 target.
  
• Merrill initiated Northwest Airlines (NYSE: NWA) with a Buy rating and $23 target.

Analyst initiations: Technology and services sector, CTSH, INFY and SILC originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 04 Oct 2007 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.