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.

Continue reading Closing Bell: Bears Barely Win on Friday the 13th (ADSK, LLY, JWN, NVDA, RMBS, PDLI, UNCA, IBM)

Closing Bell: Bears Barely Win on Friday the 13th (ADSK, LLY, JWN, NVDA, RMBS, PDLI, UNCA, IBM) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 13 Aug 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

With the market showing some signs of life, it's easy to believe there's a rally about to happen. Not just a few hundred points, but a real rally that will take the Dow Jones Industrial Average above 11,000. Not gonna happen.

While earnings have been good in many sectors (stellar in tech), the overall economic picture continues to point to an even slower economy. Even the Fed heads advise to keep our expectations low. Housing prices aren't moving up, except in a few regions. Employment isn't improving. While interest rates are low, no one wants to borrow, especially if they've been laid off for six months. Companies are sitting on billions in cash, looking to spend on more tech but not people.

Continue reading Comfort Zone Investing: Five Dividend Plays

Comfort Zone Investing: Five Dividend Plays originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 07 Aug 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Dividend Yield: 14.2%
Market Cap: $850 million

You would never expect a small-cap biotech firm to have a monster dividend yield, but PDL Biopharma (PDLI) is a delightful exception.

The company engages in the management of "antibody humanization patents," as well as royalty assets and license agreements with various biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms. In a nutshell, the process of "humanization" helps makes medications compatible with the biology of men and women so that they work properly.

Continue reading Dividend Stock #4: PDL Biopharma (PDLI)

Dividend Stock #4: PDL Biopharma (PDLI) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 14 Mar 2010 10:00:00 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.

• JP Morgan upgraded shares of Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) to Overweight from Neutral as they believe the company's market share gains in the e-commerce sector will continue and that new product lines are adding diversification of revenue streams.
  
• Wachovia upgraded Leap Wireless (NASDAQ:LEAP) to Outperform from Market Perform citing new market launches that should drive subscriber growth and reduced ARPU deterioration.
  
• Deutsche Bank upgraded shares of Pride International (NYSE:PDE) to Buy from Hold as they believe investors will view the stock as a pure deepwater play beginning in Q2.
• PDL BioPharma (NASDAQ:PDLI) was upgraded to Neutral from Underweight at JP Morgan.
  
• Best Buy (NYSE:BBY) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Goldman.
  
• Altera (NYSE:ALTR) was upgraded at Wachovia to Outperform from Market Perform.

• Keefe Bruyette downgraded Southside Bancshares (NASDAQ:SBSI), Prosperity Bancshares (NASDAQ:PRSP), Cullen/Frost (NYSE:CFR) and BancFirst (NASDAQ:BANF) to Underperform from Market Perform on valuation and the weakening economic outlook in the Southwest.
  
• Oppenheimer cut Varian Medial (NYSE:VAR) to Perform from Outperform as they believe U.S. hospitals could reduce capital spending budgets by 15%-25% in 2009.
  
• Dress Barn (NASDAQ:DBRN) was lowered to Neutral from Buy at SunTrust based on valuation and lack of near-term catalysts.
• JetBlue (NASDAQ:JBLU) was downgraded at Jesup & Lamont to Hold from Buy.
  
• Credit Suisse cut Novellus (NASDAQ:NVLS) to Underperform from Neutral.
  
• Helen of Troy (NASDAQ:HELE) was downgraded to Underweight from Neutral at JP Morgan.

• Merriman initiated Capstone Turbine (NASDAQ:CPST) with a Neutral rating and finds the stock fairly valued at current levels.
  
• Leerink sees a high likelihood that Momenta's (NASDAQ:MNTA) lead product candidates M-Enoxaparin and M-356 clear regulatory and legal hurdles. The firm has an Outperform rating and $16 fair value estimate on shares.
  
• NCI (NASDAQ:NCIT) was initiated with a Market Perform rating at Wachovia based on valuation.
• Teradyne (NYSE:TER) was assumed at Barclays with an Overweight rating and $6 target.

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AMZN, LEAP, BBY, BANF, JBLU originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 05 Jan 2009 12:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• UBS downgraded Anheuser-Busch (NYSE: BUD) to Neutral from Buy citing the InBev unsolicited bid.
  
• JP Morgan cut Brasil Telecom (NYSE: BRP) to Underweight from Neutral on concerns over the merger with Telemar.
  
• Piper downgraded Finisar (NASDAQ: FNSR) to Neutral from Buy following strong Q4 results, as they believe the company's acquisition of Optium creates substantial integration risk.

• Merrill cut Weyerhaeuser (NYSE: WY) to Neutral from Buy.
  
• PDL BioPharma (NASDAQ: PDLI) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Credit Suisse.
  
• Wachovia downgraded McClatchy News (NYSE: MNI) to Underperform from Market Perform.
  
• Archer Daniels (NYSE: ADM) was downgraded to Equal Weight from Overweight at Morgan Stanley.

Analyst downgrades: BUD, BRP and FNSR originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: Thankfully, the closing bell rang

Closing Bell: Thankfully, the closing bell rang originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 11 Apr 2008 16:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Jefferies downgraded shares of Thornburg Mortgage (NYSE: TMA) to Hold from Buy to reflect the ongoing dislocation of the mortgage markets and lowered their target to $3.75 from $14. While they believe Thornburg will probably survive its current liquidity crisis, they think the company's capital structure will be impaired further.
  
• JP Morgan downgraded Whirlpool (NYSE: WHR) to Underweight from Neutral, citing valuation, higher steel prices, the difficult macro environment and competition.
  
• Stephens cut Jackson Hewitt (NYSE: JTX) to Equal Weight from Overweight to reflect the company's recent results and concerns over the issues that have impacted the basic business.

• Merrill lowered Bank of Montreal (NYSE: BMO) to Sell from Neutral.
  
• Lehman downgraded PDL BioPharma (NASDAQ: PDLI) to Equal Weight from Overweight.
  
• Friedman Billings downgraded Tessera (NASDAQ: TSRA) to Market Perform from Outperform.

Analyst downgrades: Thornburg Mortgage, Whirlpool, Jackson Hewitt originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 05 Mar 2008 11:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

PDL BioPharma (NYSE: PDLI) announced it will no longer actively pursue the sale of the company or its biotechnology discovery and development assets.

PDLI is recently down $2.96 to $12.88 in pre-open trading.

PDLI overall option implied volatility of 41 is above its 26-week average of 37 according to Track Data, suggesting slightly larger price movement.

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

Option update: PDL BioPharma no longer pursuing sale of company originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 05 Mar 2008 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Panacos Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: PANC): Moving up 14% on good earnings.

Big Lots (NYSE: BIG): Moving up 17% on a good quarter.

PDL Biopharma (NASDAQ: PDLI): Fell almost 20% on word that the company is suspending sales and restructuring.

KongZhong (NASDAQ: KONG): Falling over 5% on poor earnings.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

Pre-market movers: PANC, BIG, KONG originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 05 Mar 2008 08:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Akzo Nobel, SureWest Communications and the cable sector were today's noteworthy upgrades:

• Deutsche Bank upgraded shares of Akzo Nobel (OTC: AKZOY) to Buy from Hold as they believe the company's growth and restructuring potential are being undervalued by the market.
• Jefferies raised its rating on SureWest Communications (NASDAQ: SURW) with to Buy from Hold. The firm believes the company's fiber network and strong cash position make it an attractive M&A target.
• Morgan Stanley upgraded the cable sector to Attractive from Cautious, also upgrading Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) to Overweight from Equal Weight.

OTHER UPGRADES:

• Lehman upgraded Comstock Resources (NYSE: CRK) to Equal Weight from Underweight and PDL BioPharma (NASDAQ: PDLI) to Overweight from Equal Weight.
• Cowen upgraded Genentech (NYSE: DNA) to Outperform from Neutral.
• Brandywine Realty Trust (NYSE: BDN) was upgraded to Neutral from Sell at Merrill Lynch.

Analyst upgrades: AKZOY, SURW and the cable sector originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 06 Dec 2007 11:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• JP Morgan upgraded shares of UBS (NYSE: UBS) to Neutral from Underweight as they believe the company can start fresh after yesterday's pre-announcement.
  
• Banc of America upgraded shares of ProLogis (NYSE: PLD) and AMB Property (NYSE: AMB) to Buy from Neutral to reflect their positive outlook on global industrial REITs and believes they are positioned to benefit from global demand for industrial space.
  
• Navteq Corporation (NYSE: NVT) was upgraded at Deutsche Bank to Hold from Sell to reflect the acquisition by Nokia Corporation (NYSE: NOK).
  
• Wachovia raised shares of PDL BioPharma Inc (NASDAQ: PDLI) to Outperform from Market Perform following the CEO resignation and potential sale of the company.

• Thor Industries (NYSE: THO) was upgraded to Buy from Gradually Accumulate at Soleil.
  
• Gabelli upgraded Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) to Hold from Sell.
  
• Forest Laboratories (NYSE: FRX) was upgraded at Citigroup to Hold from Sell.
  
• Roth Capital upgraded Conexant Systems (NASDAQ: CNXT) to Hold from Sell.

Analyst upgrades: UBS, PLD, AMB, NVT and PDLI originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 02 Oct 2007 10:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

DOW JONES & COMPANY (NYSE: DJ)

Continue reading This week's rumor round-up: Will News Corp pull its offer for Dow Jones?

This week's rumor round-up: Will News Corp pull its offer for Dow Jones? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 15 Jun 2007 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Goldman Sachs upgraded Dell Inc (NASDAQ: DELL) to Buy from Neutral with a $28 target to reflect the potential for buyback as well as other growth steps in the company's turnaround efforts.

• JetBlue Airways Corp (NASDAQ: JBLU) was upgraded to Neutral from Reduce at UBS.

• Time Warner Inc (NYSE: TWX) Inc was upgraded to Outperform from Peer Perform at Bear Stearns.

• Prudential upgraded Spectrum Brands Inc (NYSE: SPC) to Neutral from Underweight with a $5 target on valuation.

• United Technologies Corp (NYSE: UTX) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral with a $79 target at Credit Suisse as the firm believes management can achieve better results across the company's commercial business.

• JP Morgan upgraded Applied Biosystems, Inc (NYSE: ABI) to Neutral from Underweight.

• Matrix USA upgraded Realnetworks, Inc (NASDAQ: RNWK) to Buy from Hold on valuation.

• Calyon upgraded Red Lion Hotels Corp (NYSE: RLH) to Add from Neutral with a $14 target.

• Prudential upgraded PDL BioPharma Inc (NASDAQ: PDLI) to Overweight from Neutral with a $28 target.

• Citigroup added Caterpillar Inc (NASDAQ: CAT) to its Recommended List.

Analyst upgrades 3-26-07: Dell, JetBlue & Time Warner upgraded today originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 26 Mar 2007 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.