Analyst Upgrades

• Bunge (BG) to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• Textron (TXT) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• CSX (CSX) to buy from neutral and Pulte Group (PHM) to conviction buy from neutral at Goldman.
• Aol (AOL) to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Kohlberg Capital (KCAP) to outperform from market perform at JMP Securities.
• Owens Corning (OC) to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Jefferies (JEF) to buy from neutral at Ticonderoga.
• Harris (HRS) to outperform from perform at Oppenheimer.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AOL, BG, CCL, CP, CSX, HRS, NE, OC, PHM, RIG, SBUX, TXT ...

Analyst Calls: AOL, BG, CCL, CP, CSX, HRS, NE, OC, PHM, RIG, SBUX, TXT ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Stocks that paid out hefty annualized dividends were a big hit during the Great Recession, since investors could at least rely on a regular "paycheck" even if the market wasn't always very clear. After the mayhem last Thursday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average taking mid-day lurch downward of nearly 1,000 points, dividends are looking more and more attractive.

Yes, the market seemed to be moving higher Monday morning -- and there are folks out there who insist the charts just don't support a market crash. But if you want to be safe instead of sorry, why not get the best of both worlds -- an agile small cap stock outperforming the market this year that also sports a mammoth dividend yield of almost 14%!

Continue reading Kohlberg Capital: An Aggressive Small Cap Gem with a 14% Dividend Yield

Kohlberg Capital: An Aggressive Small Cap Gem with a 14% Dividend Yield originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 10 May 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• FBR Capital upgraded Digital River (DRIV) to outperform from market perform on expectations the company's business activity is improving. The firm raised its price target for shares to $36 from $25.
• Cowen upgraded Carpenter Technology (CRS) to outperform from neutral, citing expectations for a restocking turnaround for the upgrade.
• Och-Ziff Capital (OZM) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at William Blair.
• Wellpoint (WLP) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at BMO Capital.
• Kohlberg Capital (KCAP) was upgraded to hold from sell at Stifel Nicolaus.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: CIT, CRS, DLM, DRIV, HP, NVO, OXGN, SAI, WLP ...

Analyst Calls: CIT, CRS, DLM, DRIV, HP, NVO, OXGN, SAI, WLP ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• JMP Securities started shares of Kohlberg Capital (NASDAQ: KCAP) with an Outperform rating and $14 target. The firm believes Kohlberg Capital's alliance with Kohlberg and Company allows Kohlberg Capital to take advantage of considerable expertise. JMP Securities believes Kohlberg Capital has an attractive risk/reward ratio.
  
• Roth Capital initiated ClickSoftware (NASDAQ: CKSW) with a Hold rating and $3.60 target and expects EPS pressure from the depreciating dollar near-term.
  
• Liberty Property Trust (NYSE: LRY) was initiated with a Hold rating at Stifel, citing lack of internal earnings divers and fair valuation.

• Oppenheimer initiated VisionChina Media (NASDAQ: VISN) with a Perform rating and $25 target.
  
• Merrill assumed MGM Mirage (NYSE: MGM) with a Neutral rating.
  
• Morgan Stanley started BJ's Wholesale (NYSE: BJ) and Costco (NASDAQ: COST) with Equal Weight ratings.

Analyst initiations: KCAP, CKSW and LRY originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 16 May 2008 11:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Morgan Keegan initiated StoneMor Partners (NASDAQ: STON) with a Market Perform rating. The firm has a low level of confidence in STON's financial projections given its vulnerability to changes in state and local regulations, and financial reporting complexities.
  
• Jesup & Lamont initiated Suntech Power (NYSE: STP) with a Buy based on the company's leading position in solar PV, industry growth and polysilicon supply agreements in place.
  
• Tesoro (NYSE: TSO) was assumed with an Underweight rating at JP Morgan. The firm expects the West Coast margins to remain weak given the decline in the gasoline demand and capacity increases of the majors.

• RBC Capital initiated Agrium (NYSE: AGU) with an Outperform rating and $115 target.
  
• Merrill initiated Kohlberg Capital (NASDAQ: KCAP) with a Neutral rating.
  
• Caris started Newell Rubbermaid (NYSE: NWL) with an Average rating and $24 target.

Analyst initiations: STON, STP, AGU, KCAP, NWL and TSO originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 06 May 2008 12:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.