Analyst Upgrades

• Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) to buy from neutral at Goldman.
• Nvidia (NVDA) to outperform from market perform at JMP Securities.
• Verizon (VZ), AT&T (T), Leap Wireless (LEAP) and MetroPCS (PCS) to outperform from neutral at RW Baird.
• Illumina (ILMN) to buy from hold at Auriga.
• Sun Bancorp (SNBC) to neutral from sell at Janney Capital.
• American Tower (AMT), SBA Communications (SBAC) and Freeport McMoRan (FCX) to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ALU, BTU, FCX, LEAP, MAR, NTRS, NVDA, PCS, T, VZ ...

Analyst Calls: ALU, BTU, FCX, LEAP, MAR, NTRS, NVDA, PCS, T, VZ ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Large Cap Pharmaceuticals sector upgraded to Overweight at Wells Fargo.
• Archer Daniels (ADM) upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse.
• Cypress Semi (CY) upgraded to Buy from Neutral at UBS.
• MFA Financial (MFA) upgraded to Buy from Hold at Jefferies.
• Blackstone (BX) upgraded to Buy from Hold at Jefferies.
• Comerica (CMA) upgraded to Hold from Sell at Citigroup.
• Dollar Tree (DLTR) upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley.
• NuVasive (NUVA) upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Leerink.
• Cogdell Spencer (CSA) upgraded to Buy from Hold at Jefferies.
• Hersha Hospitality (HT) upgraded to Hold from Underperform at Jefferies.
• G&K Services (GKSR) upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at RW Baird.
• Graham Packaging (GRM) upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Goldman.
• Shaw (SJR) upgraded to Neutral from Underperform at BofA/Merrill.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ADM, BX, BZH, CMA, DLTR, MRK, NE, PFE, X ...

Analyst Calls: ADM, BX, BZH, CMA, DLTR, MRK, NE, PFE, X ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 19 Jan 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Annaly Drops After Pricing Public Offering

Annaly Drops After Pricing Public Offering originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I have always felt that for all the blabbing we do -- or blogging, in my case -- we should try as best we can to be accountable for our good and bad calls. This report is long overdue, but I will post it anyway since all of my past year's picks and results have been made public.

The market was very harsh in the early part of 2009, filling investors fear and trepidation, and sinking to a March 9, 2009 bottom. Perhaps some of the bleeding has stopped, but the economy has not healed as bears and bulls seem to carry the day, or every other day.

Continue reading Chasing Value™: 2009 Results Crushed the S&P 500

Chasing Value™: 2009 Results Crushed the S&P 500 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here is a common sentiment about the stock market: "No fun at all. As I have said before, I believe it has turned into one big casino largely divorced from its original goal of providing capital to companies who produce something of value."

There's a lot of truth to what "granny" recently said to me in an e-mail. Fortunately she also noted "FYI Granny's up 5.86% + dividends." That would give her a gain of about 10% in the past ten months since I posted Where should granny put $50,000, suggesting a very conservative portfolio for an uncertain time.

Not only has she earned a very nice return, surpassing her CD account by 9.5% (20 fold), but she was able to do so with a great deal less volatility than the overall market most of us have lived through.

Continue reading Chasing Value: Granny Said, 'It Has Turned into One Big Casino'

Chasing Value: Granny Said, 'It Has Turned into One Big Casino' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Keefe Bruyette upgraded Goldman Sachs (GS) to Outperform from Market Perform with a $190 price target following the company's Q2 results. The firm believes the company's settlement with the SEC removes an overhang on shares.
• Stifel Nicolaus upgraded Health Care REIT (HCN) to Buy from Hold based on valuation and added shares to the Stifel REIT Income List. The firm has a $47 target on the stock.
• FBR Capital upgraded Annaly Capital (NLY) to Outperform from Market Perform citing the company's surprise dividend increase. The firm has a $20 target on the stock.
• Devon Energy (DVN) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Barclays.
• Overseas Shipholding (OSG) was upgraded to Overweight from Underweight at JP Morgan.
• Cintas (CTAS) was upgraded to Neutral from Underperform at Baird.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: GS, HCN, NLY, YHOO, GILD, BBG, WLL, JOYG, BUCY

Analyst Calls: GS, HCN, NLY, YHOO, GILD, BBG, WLL, JOYG, BUCY originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Mark Skousen Meets Warren Buffett

Mark Skousen Meets Warren Buffett originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 06 Jul 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Collins Stewart upgraded BP (BP) to buy from hold after the company canceled its dividend payments and agreed to put $20 billion in a claims escrow fund.
• Credit Suisse upgraded First Solar (FSLR) to outperform from neutral and raised its target to $150 from $110.20. The firm raised estimates given expectations for strong demand and lower costs and believes pricing upside for Q2/Q3 is not reflected in valuation.
• Argus upgraded EMC (EMC) to buy from hold, citing valuation and notes that the company's VMware (VMW) stake is undervalued.
• Rio Tinto (RTP) was upgraded to buy from hold at Societe Generale.
• Sunoco (SUN) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• UBS (UBS) was upgraded to outperform from underperform at Macquarie.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AAPL, AMZN, BP, DTV, EMC, FSLR, LMT, NOK, RTP, SNDK, UBS ...

Analyst Calls: AAPL, AMZN, BP, DTV, EMC, FSLR, LMT, NOK, RTP, SNDK, UBS ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 17 Jun 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Wells Fargo upgraded T. Rowe Price (TROW) to outperform from market perform, citing strong flows and a potential recovery in the U.S. equity markets.
• UBS upgraded BorgWarner (BWA) to buy from neutral and raised its price target to $50 from $48. The firm expects BorgWarner to benefit from fuel economy regulation.
• Cowen upgraded Celgene (CELG) to neutral from underperform, citing improved fundamentals and valuation for the upgrade.
• TRW Automotive (TRW) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.
• Finish Line (FINL) was upgraded to buy from hold at Citigroup.
• Jazz Pharmaceutical (JAZZ) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AMZN, BWA, CELG, FINL, MMC, NLY, PPO, ROSE, SNDA, TROW, VVUS ...

Analyst Calls: AMZN, BWA, CELG, FINL, MMC, NLY, PPO, ROSE, SNDA, TROW, VVUS ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 Jun 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Serious Money: Greek Bonds or High Yield Stocks?

Serious Money: Greek Bonds or High Yield Stocks? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Dividend Yield: 16.5%
Market Cap: $10.2 billion

Annaly Capital Management (NLY) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that deals mainly in mortgage-backed securities. Though there is a lot of uncertainty around these instruments that started the mess on Wall Street in late 2008, Annaly is showing signs of stability with consistent earnings growth in each of the past four quarters.

Continue reading Dividend Stock #1: Annaly Capital Management (NLY)

Dividend Stock #1: Annaly Capital Management (NLY) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 14 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Dividends are an often overlooked but crucial part of a successful retirement strategy. These quarterly offerings can provide a regular "paycheck" for retirees -- especially when the company is a high-yielding blue chip with a track record of boosting its dividend year after year.

But dividends don't just have to be a quiet way to grow your nest egg. They can really supercharge your returns when you buy into a great stock that also happens to be cash-rich. On top of the appreciation you see in your shares, you'll also get a great bonus checked mailed four times a year -- or more, depending on the dividend schedule.

Continue reading Nine Little-Known Dividend Stocks with Big Yields

Nine Little-Known Dividend Stocks with Big Yields originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 13 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• UBS upgraded Dr Pepper Snapple (DPS) to buy from neutral, citing strong fundamentals and buybacks. The firm raised its target to $42 from $31.
• Piper Jaffray upgraded ProAssurance (PRA) to overweight from neutral. The firm has a $76 price target on shares.
• Hershey (HSY) and Sunoco (SUN) were upgraded to sell from conviction sell at Goldman.
• Level 3 Comm (LVLT) was upgraded to neutral from underweight at JPMorgan.
• Cathay Pacific (CPCAY) was upgraded to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: BBBY, DPS, HSY, MT, PSYS, SUN, TMK, YHOO ...

Analyst Calls: BBBY, DPS, HSY, MT, PSYS, SUN, TMK, YHOO ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This post is part of a special report, Top Picks for 2010, the 27th annual survey in which TheStockAdvisors.com asks the nation's leading advisors for their single favorite stock for the new year. See all 80 stocks listed here.

"Annaly Mortgage Management (NLY) is our favorite investment idea for 2010," says Jack Adamo.

In his Insiders Plus newsletter, he explains, "The company buys only Ginnie Mae, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac bonds, all of which now have explicit U.S. government guarantees."

Continue reading Top Picks for 2010: Annaly Mortgage (NLY)

Top Picks for 2010: Annaly Mortgage (NLY) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 27 Dec 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The clock is ticking away the time before the year ends and I have only begun to sort out the possibilities. In Part 1 of this series, I discussed breaking up my potential picks into three categories: contender, on the fence, and out of the running until the 10 stocks have been identified.

Four contenders have been considered so far: American Eagle Outfitters (AEO), Anadarko Petroleum (APC), Anglo American ADR (AAUKY) and Diageo plc (DEO).

Six more are included in today's review: EZCorp Inc. (EZPW), General Electric Company (GE), Wells Fargo & Company (WFC), Annaly Capital Management ( NLY), Intuitive Surgical Inc (ISRG) plus Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B). These include the remaining five from 2009 and one more familiar to most investors.

Continue reading Chasing Value: Ten stocks for 2010 -- Part 2

Chasing Value: Ten stocks for 2010 -- Part 2 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Chasing Value: 2009 blazing picks -- Q3 review

Chasing Value: 2009 blazing picks -- Q3 review originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Janney Montgomery upgraded Adobe (ADBE) to buy from neutral on expectations for a strong CS5 product cycle in 2010. The firm raised its target on shares to $43 from $33.
• Kaufman Bros. upgraded Rackspace (RAX) to buy from hold to reflect the company's "strong" Q3 results and expectations growth will accelerate in 2010. The firm raised its target on shares to $22.50 from $16. Oppenheimer upgraded Rackspace to outperform from perform and established a $24 price target on the stock.
• Stephens upgraded Ann Taylor (ANN) to overweight from equal weight as it believes the company's core brand will recover faster than originally thought. The firm raised its target on shares to $17 from $12.
• Rockwell (ROK) was upgraded to neutral from underperform at Baird.
• Taiwan Semi (TSM) was raised to outperform from market perform at FBR Capital.
• Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) was upgraded to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ADBE, ANN, CCE, PIKE, RAX, RBS, WYNN ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ADBE, ANN, CCE, PIKE, RAX, RBS, WYNN ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

One of my wonderful friends, Ms. P, asked me for some guidance on how she might allocate $50,000 currently earning peanuts in a money market account. Though she is decades from becoming a grandmother, after a brief discussion about her financial parameters, it became clear to me that she was looking for a "granny fund."

In reality, my recommendations would be suitable, and perhaps desirable, for many passive investors as well.

The $50,000 is a portion of money Ms. P has set aside to purchase a home, which might happen in six months, but could also be pushed out further, depending on the economy and her situation. Basically, she wants to cover all her bases because she might need the money at any time and does not want to be caught short, while at the same time she would like to generate some revenue without taking any big risks.

Continue reading Where should granny put $50,000?

Where should granny put $50,000? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Serious Money: Not cheating -- market waving the caution flag

Serious Money: Not cheating -- market waving the caution flag originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Serious Money: Six stocks paying over 6% yields: VZ, DUK, MO, KMP, BWP, NLY

Serious Money: Six stocks paying over 6% yields: VZ, DUK, MO, KMP, BWP, NLY originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.