This post is part of Japan: A Special Report for Investors.

"Japan continues to reel from the aftershock of the magnitude 8.9 earthquake and subsequent tsunamis; among the hardest hit is the nuclear industry, which supplies 30 percent of the country's electricity" notes utility sector expert Roger Conrad.

The editor of The Utility Forecaster explains, "There's still a lot we don't know about the crisis. We've seen a massive selloff of in all things nuclear.In my view, this drop will be reversed as the situation calms down.

Continue reading Japan: The Impact on U.S. Nuclear Utilities

Japan: The Impact on U.S. Nuclear Utilities originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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 ...

Analyst Calls: ALTR, BHI, CL, CLX, FFIV, GS, HCBK, LLTC, PG, STT, TYC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• General Electric (GE) and Barclays (BCS) to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Warnaco (WRC) to outperform from market perform and Melco Crown (MPEL) to market perform from underperform at Wells Fargo.
• Parker-Hannifin (PH) and Emerson Electric (EMR) to buy from neutral at Goldman.
• AMD (AMD) to buy from neutral at Nomura.
• Novellus (NVLS) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW) to equal weight from underweight at Morgan Stanley.
• OpenTable (OPEN) to outperform from market perform at Morgan Keegan.
• Skilled Healthcare (SKH) to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• Lear (LEA) to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• Adobe (ADBE) to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AMD, BCS, BJ, CVC, EMR, GE, NVLS, PCG, PH, VLO, XOM ...

Analyst Calls: AMD, BCS, BJ, CVC, EMR, GE, NVLS, PCG, PH, VLO, XOM ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Exxon Mobil (XOM) and BB&T (BBT) to outperform from perform at Oppenheimer.
• D.R. Horton (DHI) upgraded to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo.
• Meritage Homes (MTH), Old Dominion Freight (ODFL) and Heartland Payment (HPY) to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo.
• Toll Brothers (TOL) to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• Hershey (HSY) to buy from neutral at Janney Capital.
• UnitedHealth (UNH), Cigna (CI) and Allscripts (MDRX) to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• Nationwide Health (NHP) to outperform from market perform at JMP Securities.
• Reynolds American (RAI) to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Adtran (ADTN), PG&E (PCG) and Wisconsin Energy (WEC) to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: BBT, CI, DG, DHI, HSY, NFLX, RAI, TOL, UNH, WAT, XOM ...

Analyst Calls: BBT, CI, DG, DHI, HSY, NFLX, RAI, TOL, UNH, WAT, XOM ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Boeing (BA) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Alcoa (AA) to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• BP (BP) to outperform from market perform at Raymond James.
• Office Depot (ODP) and Staples (SPLS) to buy from neutral at Janney Capital.
• ON Semiconductor (ONNN) to buy from hold at Citigroup.
• Kennametal (KMT) and Polyone (POL) to buy from hold at KeyBanc.
• Airgas (ARG) to outperform from market perform at William Blair.
• EchoStar (SATS) to neutral from underperform at Macquarie.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AA, BA, BP, BSX, COH, GM, INTC, NSM, STJ, TIF, TSN, UA ...

Analyst Calls: AA, BA, BP, BSX, COH, GM, INTC, NSM, STJ, TIF, TSN, UA ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Wells Fargo upgraded PG&E (PCG) to outperform from market perform and raised its range for shares to $50 to $52 from $44 to $46, citing the proposed settlement in the company's 2011 General Rate Case.
• Jefferies upgraded Huntsman (HUN) to buy from hold and raised its price target for shares to $17 from $12, citing valuation and the likelihood for favorable earnings revisions.
• RBC Capital upgraded Jack in the Box (JACK) to outperform from sector perform with a $28 target, citing checks showing improved fast food sales in recent months and easy comps.
• Sonic (SONC) was upgraded to outperform from sector perform at RBC Capital and $12 price target.
• Synaptics (SYNA) was upgraded to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan and $40 price target.
• Excel Maritime (EXM) was upgraded to buy from hold at Cantor and raised its price target to $7 from $5.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ALTR, ANR, BJRI, COP, HUN, JACK, OSG, PCG, PEP, PM, SONC ...

Analyst Calls: ALTR, ANR, BJRI, COP, HUN, JACK, OSG, PCG, PEP, PM, SONC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 18 Oct 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• RBC Capital upgraded Syniverse (SVR) to outperform from sector perform based on strong secular growth in mobile data and roaming. The firm raised its price target to $28 from $23.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded PG&E (PCG) to buy from hold with a $49 price target due to valuation.
• Jefferies assumed coverage on Sierra Wireless (SWIR) with a buy from a hold and raised its price target to $12 from $9. The analyst expects the M2M market to experience 25% growth over the next two years.
• Affiliated Managers (AMG) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Goldman.
• EastGroup Properties (EGP) was upgraded to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Gammon Gold (GRS) was upgraded to neutral from underperform at Credit Suisse.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AAPL, BLK, BTU, CL, MOT, MSFT, PCG, RIMM, SVR, SWIR ...

Analyst Calls: AAPL, BLK, BTU, CL, MOT, MSFT, PCG, RIMM, SVR, SWIR ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Today was another up day, mostly thanks to the new Basel III banking accords showing that most banks are actually not in need of fresh capital any time in the immediate future. We also saw Warren Buffett refute that there is a double-dip recession and we also had a slightly less-atrocious August Treasury deficit than expected. This was a day where traders began putting back on the risk trade.

Here were today's closing bell levels:

DJIA
S&P500
NASDAQ

Continue reading Closing Bell: Traders Put The Risk Back On (MSFT, LNG, OXGN, ARST, HPQ, GENZ, SNY, PCG)

Closing Bell: Traders Put The Risk Back On (MSFT, LNG, OXGN, ARST, HPQ, GENZ, SNY, PCG) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 13 Sep 2010 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Citigroup upgraded OpenTable (OPEN) to buy from hold, citing stronger than expected near-term trends and traction for the company's Spotlight offering. Citi upped its price target for shares to $70 from $46.
• Wells Fargo upgraded Werner (WERN) to outperform from market perform, citing valuation, the company's reduction in cost, and its above peer exposure to the pricing cycle.
• Goldman upgraded CarMax (KMX) to neutral from sell based on valuation and higher used car profitability. The firm has a $24 target on the stock.
• Apollo Group (APOL) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.
• Nokia (NOK) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• Zions Bancorp (ZION) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Bernstein.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AZO, KMX, MSFT, NOK, OPEN, PCG, RIMM, WDC, WERN, XOM ...

Analyst Calls: AZO, KMX, MSFT, NOK, OPEN, PCG, RIMM, WDC, WERN, XOM ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 13 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: A Pleasant and Quiet Friday (ALTH, BP, CBAK, LULU, PM, PCG, DELL)

Closing Bell: A Pleasant and Quiet Friday (ALTH, BP, CBAK, LULU, PM, PCG, DELL) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 10 Sep 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• UBS said Martin Marietta's (MLM) Q2 showed evidence of leverage to a recovery and the firm views risk/reward in shares as attractive. Shares were upgraded to buy from neutral, but its price target was lowered to $96 from $101.
• Soleil upgraded Regis (RGS) to buy from hold after the company said it is exploring strategic options. The firm raised its target for shares to $26 from $14.
• Wunderlich upgraded Sirius XM Radio (SIRI) to buy from hold with a $1.50 price target following the company's Q2 results. The firm believes Sirius' product continues to resonate with healthier higher-end consumers and notes that CEO Mel Karmazin said a resolution could be reached with Howard Stern by the Q3 conference call.
• Magellan Midstream (MMP) was upgraded to outperform from sector perform at RBC Capital.
• Savient (SVNT) was upgraded to neutral from underperform at BofA/Merrill.
• EMS Tech (ELMG) was upgraded to buy from hold at Needham.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: CTRN, ICE, JACK, MLM, NNN, OPTR, PCG, RGS, RYN, SIRI ...

Analyst Calls: CTRN, ICE, JACK, MLM, NNN, OPTR, PCG, RGS, RYN, SIRI ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Janney Montgomery upgraded Dreamworks (DWA) to buy from neutral on valuation and believes Dragon will be a major hit. The firm has a $45 target on the stock.
• Thomas Weisel upgraded Gildan Activewear (GIL) to market weight from underweight, citing expectations for increased market shares in the U.S. screen print channel. The firm raised its target to $17 from $12.
• P.F. Chang's (PFCB) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.
• PEPCO Holdings (POM) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.
• Arris (ARRS) was upgraded to buy from neutral at UBS.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: DOLE, DWA, ESRX, FOSL, GIL, HR, STZ ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: DOLE, DWA, ESRX, FOSL, GIL, HR, STZ ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sunny skies are here for Ausra, the solar thermal company backed by Kleiner Perkins and Khosla Ventures. The company is looking for a buyer, and it's already talking to three, according to a report by Reuters. Everything is up for grabs, from a majority stake in the company to 100% of it, and the back-and-forth going on is at a "very aggressive level."

The businesses looking to pick up Ausra are said to be global power generation conglomerates but haven't been named yet. So, the clean energy company would be a way for one of them to diversify.

Continue reading Three buyers vying for solar thermal company Ausra

Three buyers vying for solar thermal company Ausra originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is fighting back. The organization has filed a civil lawsuit against the Yes Men, an activist group that announced that the chamber had changed its position on climate change.

The Yes Men told the National Press Club on October 19, 2009 that the Chamber of Commerce would give up lobbying against the Senate's 800-page climate change bill. Reuters, CNBC and Fox Business Network all reported on the story, with the anchors correcting themselves midstream, when they learned that it was false.

Continue reading Chamber of Commerce sues activists over climate change stunt

Chamber of Commerce sues activists over climate change stunt originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Citigroup upgraded Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB) to Buy from Hold on valuation and the company's exposure to a potential upturn in international drilling. The firm raised its target on shares to $80 from $56.
• UBS upgraded Allegheny Tech (NYSE: ATI) to Buy from Neutral and raised its target to $43 from $31 and believes the end of jet engine and other destocking will result in an initial recovery into 2010, even before an order ramp into 2011.
• Merriman upgraded Acorda Therapeutics (NASDAQ: ACOR) to Buy from Neutral based on the favorable FDA panel outcome and set a $30-$33 target range on the stock. Baird upgraded Acorda to Outperform from Neutral and raised its target to $28 from $24. Following the panel review, Baird expects Amaya to be approved in 1H10 and would be buyers into the mid/high $20s.
• Chicago Bridge & Iron (NYSE: CBI) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Goldman.
• PG&E (NYSE: PCG) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at UBS.
• Newfield Exploration (NYSE: NFX) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Wells Fargo.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ACOR, BHI, HAL, LAZ, SLB, TRV ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ACOR, BHI, HAL, LAZ, SLB, TRV ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Wachovia upgraded Choice Hotels (NYSE: CHH) to Outperform from Market Perform based on its high margin franchise, valuation, and brand acquisition opportunities, among other reasons.
• Canaccord upgraded Freeport McMoRan (NYSE: FCX) to Buy from Speculative Buy based on asset and management quality, size, and liquidity, and view as a potential hedge against inflation and U.S. dollar weakness.
• Cowen upgraded Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) to Outperform from Neutral. The firm expects Amazon to gain more of the consumer wallet as it focuses on lower prices and a superior shopping experience vs. online and offline competitors.
• Ctrip.com (NASDAQ: CTRP) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Nomura.
• FedEx (NYSE: FDX) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Barclays.
• Marathon Oil (NYSE: MRO) was upgraded to Neutral from Sell at Goldman.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AMZN, FDX, MRO, NOK, SUN ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AMZN, FDX, MRO, NOK, SUN ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Deutsche Bank upgraded Spartech (NYSE: SEH) to Buy from Hold as it sees further upside following the company's "strong" Q2 results. The firm raised its target on shares to $10 from $2.50.
• Oppenheimer upgraded Clorox (NYSE: CLX) to Outperform from Underperform. The firm believes the company's FY10 outlook is conservative, providing room for upside, and that the valuation is compelling at current levels. Opco set a $70 price target on the stock.
• Goldman upgraded Steel Dynamics (NASDAQ: STLD) to Buy from Neutral and raised its target to $20 from $16, citing reduced balance sheet concerns following the capital raise. Note that AK Steel (NYSE: AKS) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy.
• PG&E (NYSE: PCG) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Citigroup.
• Pool Corp. (NASDAQ: POOL) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at William Blair.
• Liberty Property Trust (NYSE: LRY) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Wachovia.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: CLX, ED, JBHT, HMC, PCG ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: CLX, ED, JBHT, HMC, PCG ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 12 Jun 2009 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• RBC Capital believes software stock fundamentals have bottomed and that the next several quarters should see reduced earnings risk, easier comps, stimulus spending benefits, and lower FX headwinds. The firm upgraded Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), Taleo (NASDAQ: TLEO), Digital River (NASDAQ: DRIV) and Symantec (NASDAQ: SYMC) to Outperform from Sector Perform.
  
• Rodman & Renshaw upgraded Provectus (OTC: PVCT) to Outperform from Market Perform. The firm has increased conviction in the success of the company's ongoing trial of PV-10 in melanoma.
  
• Citigroup upgraded shares of American Express (NYSE: AXP) to Hold from Sell as it believes the risk/reward is balanced at current levels and that there are signs of potential credit market stabilization. The firm raised its price target on shares to $16 from $9.
• Brinker (NYSE: EAT) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Wachovia.
  
• PG&E (NYSE: PCG) was raised to Outperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse.
  
• Federal-Mogul (NASDAQ: FDML) was lifted to Conviction Buy from Buy at Goldman.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: MSFT, AXP, RBS, FIATY, NFLX ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: MSFT, AXP, RBS, FIATY, NFLX ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 07 Apr 2009 10:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• JP Morgan upgraded J.C. Penney (NYSE: JCP) to Neutral from Underweight based on lower input costs, stabilization in home, lower markdown dollars, and valuation.
• Oppenheimer upgraded Novellus (NASDAQ: NVLS) to Perform from Underperform as it believes Novellus' market share has stabilized and that the company is a potential acquisition target. The firm raised its price target to $20 from $9.
• Bernstein upgraded ConAgra (NYSE: CAG) to Market Perform from Underperform citing strength in grains and moderating input costs.
• ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Goldman.
• China Housing (NASDAQ: CHLN) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Roth Capital.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: JCP, NVLS, CAG, RJF, PCG, STP, AMZN, MS, MSFT

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: JCP, NVLS, CAG, RJF, PCG, STP, AMZN, MS, MSFT originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 27 Mar 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Keefe Bruyette upgraded AmeriCredit (NYSE: ACF) to Market Perform from Underperform as it believes the company's warehouse facility amendments substantially reduce the risk of bankruptcy in the near term. The firm has a $6 target on the stock.
  
• Thomas Weisel upgraded Suntech (NYSE: STP) to Market Weight from Underweight on valuation following the recent weakness. The firm has a $6 target on the stock.
  
• Banc of America/Merrill upgraded Kohl's (NYSE: KSS) to Buy from Neutral on valuation following the recent weakness and believes the company's guidance is achievable.
• Dr. Pepper Snapple (NYSE: DPS) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Goldman.
  
• Digital River (NYSE: DRIV) was raised to Buy from Hold at Deutsche Bank.
  
• Clorox (NYSE: CLX) was upgraded at Barclays to Equal Weight from Underweight.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: STP, WMT, DIS, DNA, YHOO ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: STP, WMT, DIS, DNA, YHOO ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 10 Mar 2009 10:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.