Analyst Upgrades

• Wynn Resorts (WYNN) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Oracle (ORCL) and Alliance Data Systems (ADS) to outperform from neutral at Macquarie.
• Saint Joe (JOE) to outperform from market perform at Keefe Bruyette.
• Starwood Hotels (HOT) to neutral from underperform at RW Baird.
• Middlesex Water (MSEX) to buy from neutral at Janney Capital.
• Consol Energy (CNX) to buy from hold at BB&T.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: BAC, CMA, DO, HOT, ORCL, RIG, RTN, SBUX, TLB, WYNN ...

Analyst Calls: BAC, CMA, DO, HOT, ORCL, RIG, RTN, SBUX, TLB, WYNN ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 16 Dec 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Credit Suisse upgraded Netflix (NFLX) to neutral from underperform and raised its price target to $140 from $90. The firm's survey work indicates Netflix's streaming offering is compelling and will continue to grow as it acquires additional streaming content.
• Barclays upgraded Ford (F) to overweight from equal weight, citing the company's earnings power, reduced cost base, expectations for a return to prior peak margins and valuation. The firm raised its target to $16 from $15.
• Merriman upgraded OpenTable (OPEN) to buy from neutral based on increased visibility into international expansion from the toptable.com acquisition and upside from its Spotlight product.
• Siemens (SI) was upgraded to conviction buy from buy at Goldman.
• Medicis (MRX) was upgraded to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• IDEX (IEX) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at Baird.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: BT, BWA, COG, F, GD, HRS, LMT, MRK, NFLX, NOC, OPEN, SI ...

Analyst Calls: BT, BWA, COG, F, GD, HRS, LMT, MRK, NFLX, NOC, OPEN, SI ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In Gordon Pape's The Internet Wealth Builder, he reviews four defense plays -- L-3 Communications (LLL), Cogent Systems (COGT), American Scientific & Engineering (ASEI) and OSI Systems (OSIS).

Continue reading Defensive Four-pack: Investing in Airport Security

Defensive Four-pack: Investing in Airport Security originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Deutsche Bank upgraded Clorox (NYSE: CLX) to Buy from Hold on valuation and believes upside to earnings forecasts is likely. The firm raised its target on shares to $66 from $65.
• Kaufman Bros. upgraded eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY) to Buy from Hold on expectations improved Marketplace fundamentals will serve as a positive catalyst for shares. The firm raised its price target on the stock to $29 from $22.
• Roth Capital believes Zumiez (NASDAQ: ZUMZ) is well positioned for improved results and margins. The firm, which upgraded shares to Buy from Hold and raised its target to $22 from $16, said September back-to-school results bode well for the holiday season and demonstrate that Zumiez can drive conversion during peak shopping periods.
• Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC) was upgraded to Sell from Conviction Sell at Goldman.
• Adobe (NASDAQ: ADBE) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Baird.
• Monster Worldwide (NYSE: MWW) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at JPMorgan.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ADBE, AZO, EBAY, GS, NOC, WFC ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ADBE, AZO, EBAY, GS, NOC, WFC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• FBR Capital upgraded AutoZone (NYSE: AZO) to Market Perform from Underperform on valuation following the company's Q4 results but lowered its target on shares to $134 from $137.
• Citigroup upgraded Calpine (NYSE: CPN) to Buy from Hold on valuation following Wednesday's sell-off. The firm believes Harbinger's share sale reflects an issue with the shareholders, not with the company, and raised its price target on the stock to $16.50 from $13.
• Credit Suisse upgraded Knight Transportation (NYSE: KNX) to Neutral from Underperform and raised its target to $17 from $16 based on valuation and the improved freight environment.
• Citrix Systems (NASDAQ: CTXS) was upgraded to Conviction Buy from Buy at Goldman.
• Webster Financial (NYSE: WBS) was upgraded to Outperform from Sector Perform at RBC Capital.
• Dr. Reddy's Labs (NYSE: RDY) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AZN, AZO, BBBY, CAH, CPN, LLL, LTD ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AZN, AZO, BBBY, CAH, CPN, LLL, LTD ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 24 Sep 2009 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Oppenheimer upgraded FTI Consulting (NYSE:FCN) to Outperform from Perform on expectations the stock will outperform in the second half of 2009 due to easier comparisons and a "deeper and longer" restructuring cycle. The firm has a $62 target on shares.
• Citigroup upgraded Cigna (NYSE:CI) to Hold from Sell to reflect reduced balance sheet risk following the company's capital raise and the potential for a PBM sale. The firm raised its target price to $23 from $13.
• Goldman expects Coca-Cola Enterprises (NYSE:CCE) to benefit from favorable soda demand and lower commodity costs. The firm upgraded shares to Conviction Buy from Buy and has a $20 target on the stock.
• Novellus (NASDAQ:NVLS) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Bank of America/Merrill.
• CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) was upgraded at JP Morgan to Neutral from Underweight.
• Allegiant (NASDAQ:ALGT) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley.
  

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: CI, CCE, JBLU, LIZ, LLL

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: CI, CCE, JBLU, LIZ, LLL originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 14 May 2009 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

To highlight defense names in the face of the current spending priorities feels like soaking in gasoline and walking around smoking a cigarette. With that visual as a backdrop, it is also fair to say that Obama is probably just as focused on protecting the motherland as Bush was, and, much as he may dislike it, that will force continued if not increased spending in certain areas of defense. The one name I have been drooling over for years and which is finally coming together in many respects is L-3 Communication (NYSE: LLL).

Continue reading L-3 Communication: A stock to watch in the defense sector

L-3 Communication: A stock to watch in the defense sector originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 05 Mar 2009 15:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Jefferies upgraded Xilinx (NASDAQ: XLNX) to Buy from Hold and raised its target to $22 from $17 on valuation and the company's "diversified" business.
  
• Barclays expects Steel Dynamics (NASDAQ: STLD) to outperform in Q1 as investors become more comfortable with the company's balance sheet. Shares were upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight.
  
• Keefe Bruyette upgraded Asset Acceptance (NASDAQ: AACC) to Market Perform from Underperform on valuation but lowered their target to $6 from $8.
• Blackrock (NYSE: BLK) and Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE) were added to Goldman's Conviction Buy List.
  
• Lattice (NASDAQ: LSCC) was upgraded to Equal Weight from Underweight at Morgan Stanley.

Continue reading Analyst calls: XLNX, STLD, ICE, NYX, MT, JOYG, CME, LLL, AAPL, ENR ...

Analyst calls: XLNX, STLD, ICE, NYX, MT, JOYG, CME, LLL, AAPL, ENR ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 18 Dec 2008 11:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"As my high school football coach always quipped, 'Offense may win fans, but defense wins games,'" says leading growth stock expert Louis Basenese.

Here, the Oxford Club associate investment director takes a look at his three favorite defense stocks, noting, "When it comes to investing in the current environment, I'm convinced that you can't go wrong with this trio of companies."

"In my view, this sector willl never fall out of favor. The recent development with Russia serves to underscore another point I've been making for years. We always have to be prepared.

"Or, put another way, there will never be a good time for defense cuts, lest we want to leave our country vulnerable.Add it all up, and we can expect defense companies to enjoy steady demand. Even in the face of a recession.

"As the CEO of Rockwell notes, there has been absolutely no fallout in the defense industry as a result of the worldwide credit meltdown or other economic woes. So here's a quick run-down on the three defense companies we prefer for investors.

Continue reading Defensive trio: Lockheed, Raytheon and L-3

Defensive trio: Lockheed, Raytheon and L-3 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 27 Oct 2008 10:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• RBC Capital upgraded American Tower (NYSE:AMT), Crown Castle( NYSE::CCI), SBA Comm (NASDAQ:SBAC) to Outperform from Sector Perform citing recent weakness in the tower sector group and a continued favorable outlook.
  
• Merrill upgraded shares of Tesco (Other OTC:TSCDY) to Buy from Neutral as they believe it is the only proven growth stock in the sector.
  
• Soleil upgraded shares of Alcoa (NYSE:AA) to Hold from Sell on valuation following the recent weakness.

• Arch Coal (NYSE:ACI) and Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) were upgraded to Buy from Hold at Citigroup.
  
• L-3 Comm (NYSE:LLL) was raised to Outperform from Neutral at Cowen.
  
• Jacobs Engineering (NYSE:JEC) was lifted to Buy from Hold at Morgan Joseph.

Analyst upgrades: Tower sector stocks, TSCDY and AA originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading L-3 Communications has a client with deep pockets

L-3 Communications has a client with deep pockets originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 06 May 2008 18:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"The weak start to 2008 has left many investors scrambling for a safe haven in which to stash their cash," notes Jocelynn Drake, who sees the defense sector as one such haven.

The analyst with Schaeffer's Investment Research explains, "The recent losses suffered by many of the defense-sector components has brought them back to long-term support, creating potentially strong buying opportunities."

"What do General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC), and L-3 Communications (NYSE: LLL) have in common? These four defense stocks have enjoyed strong rallies during the past four years.

"In addition, they are all currently resting right near support at their ascending 10-month moving averages. These stocks have benefited from this long-term support level and could use their respective trendlines as springboards to launch them on the next leg of their uptrends.

"What also makes these stocks very appealing from a bullish perspective is that short-term options players are very skeptical of the stocks' outlooks. As a result, options speculators have loaded up on bearish bets toward these securities in an attempt to call a top to their rallies.

Continue reading Defense: Four favorites for a 'save haven'

Defense: Four favorites for a 'save haven' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 28 Jan 2008 09:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Last week Forbes released its annual list of the fastest growing tech stocks, and it shouldn't be much of a surprise that Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) topped the list, with nearly $15 billion in sales, representing five-year sales growth of 155%, and 30% EPS growth. To make the list, companies had to have significant sales growth over the past year and five years, as well as a good earnings forecast for the next three to five years. Companies with significant legal problems or corporate governance issues were excluded.

Rounding out the top five were Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM), Ceradyne Inc. (NASDAQ: CRDN), Euronet Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: EEFT), and FalconStor Software Inc. (NASDAQ: FALC). Some other familiar names that made the list this year include Red Hat Inc. (NYSE: RHT), L-3 Communications (NYSE: LLL), Adobe Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE), and Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ: CTSH). Cognizant has been on Forbes list since its inauguration six years ago. For the full list, see the Forbes article.

Also of interest was the Forbes Fast 15, companies that didn't make the list mentioned above, but which Forbes thought were worth keeping an eye on for their potential. Engineering software maker Ansys Inc. (NASDAQ: ANSS), semiconductor maker Atheros Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: ATHR), Brubaker BioSciences Corp. (NASDAQ: BRKR), and scoreboard maker Daktronics Inc. (NASDAQ: DAKT) top that list. For the full list, see the Forbes article.

So if, like Aaron Katsman, Georges Yared, and Jim Cramer, you are bullish on tech stocks, then there's plenty on the Forbes lists worth taking a look at.

Google tops Forbes list of fastest growing tech stocks originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 27 Jan 2008 13:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Before the bell: BA, GE, LLL, VLO, AAPL, ERIC

Before the bell: BA, GE, LLL, VLO, AAPL, ERIC originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 12 Dec 2007 08:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Despite U.S. economic slowdown, L-3 keeps rolling along originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 06 Dec 2007 18:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"The recent market volatility has shaken more than a few traders, leaving them wondering where they should turn next to protect themselves," notes Jocelynn Drake.

But one sector, she notes, that has performed well and should continue to do so, is the defense sector. In particular, the analyst with Schaeffer's Investment Research considers L-3 Communications (NYSE: LLL) and FLIR Systems (NASDAQ: FLIR) as "shining gems."

Drake notes, "Topping the list is L-3 Communications, which makes secure and specialized systems for satellite, avionics, and marine communications such as flight recorders (black boxes), display systems, and wireless telecom gear."

On July 26, she notes, the company reported a second-quarter profit of $1.49 per share, beating the consensus estimate by a nickel. Revenue for the quarter jumped 11% to 3.41 billion. Adding to its good news, she notes, was that L-3 boosted its 2007 earnings outlook.

Continue reading L-3 (LLL) and Flir (FLIR): 'Shining stars' in defense

L-3 (LLL) and Flir (FLIR): 'Shining stars' in defense originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 09 Aug 2007 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• HSBC downgraded shares of AstraZeneca plc (NYSE: AZN) to Neutral from Overweight as the firm believes investors will have to wait until 2009 for the company to start benefiting from its strategy.

• Aeroflexx Inc (NASDAQ: ARXX) was cut to Hold from Buy at Jefferies with a $14 target based on valuation.

• Thomas Weisel downgraded shares of Symantec Corp (NASDAQ: SYMC) to Market Weight from Overweight citing a lack of near-term catalysts and increased risk from transitions in its business model.

• Chevron Corp (NYSE: CVX) was removed from AG Edwards' Focus Portfolio. The firm believes Chevron offers less upside potential than other companies in the sector.

• Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM) was downgraded to Hold from Buy on valuation and its balanced risk/reward profile...

• Piper Jaffray cut Juniper Networks, Inc (NASDAQ: JNPR) to Market Perform from Outperform with a $20 target.

• Friedman Billings downgraded L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc (NYSE: LLL) to Market Perform from Outperform.

• MedImmune, Inc (NASDAQ: MEDI) was downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight at Lehman.

• Hecla Mining Co (NYSE: HL) was cut to Sector Underperformer from Sector Performer at CIBC based on valuation.

• Merrill Lynch cut Wendy's International (NYSE: WEN) to Sell from Neutral.

• Stanford downgraded shares of Sirius Satellite Radio Inc (NASDAQ: SIRI) to Hold from Buy with a $3 target.

Analyst downgrades 4-27-07: CVX, JNPR, SIRI, SYMC and WEN downgraded today originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 24 Apr 2007 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• CA World 2007 to be held in Las Vegas
• L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: LLL) to report Q1 earnings, conference call at 10 a.m.

• Defense companies Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE: LMT) and Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE: NOC) to report Q1 earnings.
• Low-cost airline Jetblue Airways Corp. (NASDAQ: JBLU) to report Q1 earnings. Will Jetblue follow Southwest Airlines Co.'s (NYSE: LUV) disappointing report (which caused two analyst downgrades)? Or is the recent increased investment buy George Soros a sign that Jetblue is doing better?
• Alternative Energy Conference, hosted by Friedland Investment Events, to be held in NY.

• The Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) to report Q1 earnings; conference call at 10:30 a.m. Will Boeing discuss Airbus's decision to halve the price of its A350 planes in order to become more competitive with Boeing's 787 Dreamliner?
• Market darling Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) will also report Q2 earnings, conference call at 5 p.m.

• XM Satellite Radio Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: XMSR) to report Q1 earnings; conference call at 10 a.m. Investors will look for any comments relating to the state of the potential merger with Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI).

• YRC Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ: YRCW) to report Q1 earnings; conference call at 9:30 a.m.

Market highlights for next week: Apple one of many co's reporting originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 20 Apr 2007 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Merck & Co (NYSE: MRK ) was upgraded to Neutral from Sell at Goldman Sachs to reflect the company's continued revenue strength and raised guidance. They believe strong execution continues.
• JP Morgan upgraded Intersil Corp NASDAQ: ISIL) to Overweight from Neutral based on improving fundamentals.
• Matrix USA upgraded shares of Nautilus Group (NYSE: NLS) to Hold from Strong Sell after this week's sell-off.
• Pacific Sunwear of California (NASDAQ: PSUN) was added to Freidman Billing's Top Picks List, believing the turnaround is taking hold following strong March comps.

• Goldman added L-3 Communications Hlds (NYSE: LLL) to its Conviction Buy List and raised its target to $105 from $95.
• McCormick Corp (NYSE: MKC) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Wachovia citing core performance in both Industrial and Consumer, including a nominal boost in long-term growth outlook.
• Bear Stearns upgraded shares of Ventana Medical Systems (NASDAQ: VMSI) to Outperform from Peer Perform, citing the company's solid base business outlook and Symphony potential.
• Piper Jaffray upgraded Ocwen Financial (NYSE: OCN) to Outperform from Market Perform.
• JP Morgan upgraded TJX Cos (NYSE: TJX) to Neutral from Underweight expecting merchandising initiatives and marketing spending to drive growth.

Analyst upgrades 4-13-07: LLL, MRK, NLS and PSUN upgraded today originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 13 Apr 2007 11:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading The week in Defense and Aerospace

The week in Defense and Aerospace originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 19 Mar 2007 18:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.