Analyst Upgrades

• SINA (SINA) to overweight from neutral at Piper Jaffray.
• Texas Instruments (TXN), ON Semiconductor (ONNN), Xilinx (XLNX) and Valassis (VCI) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Salesforce.com (CRM) to buy from hold at Canaccord.
• Peet's Coffee (PEET) to buy from neutral at Janney Capital.
• Invesco Mortgage (IVR) to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• BTU International (BTUI) to buy from hold at Wunderlich.
• Coca-Cola Femsa (KOF) to overweight from neutral at HSBC.
• Chipotle (CMG) to market perform from underperform at Morgan Keegan.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AKAM, CIEN, CMG, CRM, FDO, GOOG, JNPR, MCC, TXN, YHOO ...

Analyst Calls: AKAM, CIEN, CMG, CRM, FDO, GOOG, JNPR, MCC, TXN, YHOO ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 02 Mar 2011 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• RightNow (RNOW) to overweight from neutral at Piper Jaffray.
• Vivo Participacoes (VIV) to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• Genesis Energy (GEL) to outperform from sector perform at RBC Capital.

Analyst Downgrades

• First Community (FCBC) and WesBanco (WSBC) to hold from buy at Stifel Nicolaus.
• Dresser Rand (DRC) to neutral from buy at Global Hunter.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: FCBC, GEL, GOOG, MR, RNOW, YHOO ...

Analyst Calls: FCBC, GEL, GOOG, MR, RNOW, YHOO ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 29 Dec 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• JPMorgan upgraded Dollar Tree (DLTR) to neutral from underweight and $48 price target.
• Credit Suisse upgraded Time Warner Cable (TWC) to outperform from neutral and raised its price target to $70 from $59, citing growth in wireline HST demand.
• Needham upgraded NetScout (NTCT) to buy from hold with a $29 price target, citing channel checks that indicate industry spending on network monitoring software may be improving.
• Nstar (NST) was upgraded to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Novo Nordisk (NVO) was upgraded to hold from sell at Societe Generale.
• Air France-KLM (AFLYY) was upgraded to neutral from underperform at Credit Suisse.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: DLTR, FLR, H, HOT, MAR, NTCT, NVO, RNOW, TWC, VECO, VMC ...

Analyst Calls: DLTR, FLR, H, HOT, MAR, NTCT, NVO, RNOW, TWC, VECO, VMC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 12:00:00 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.

Analyst Upgrades

• Oppenheimer upgraded VeriSign (VRSN) to outperform from perform, citing better-than-expected domain names trends and the potential for a sizeable share buyback. The firm has a $33 price target for shares.
• Oppenheimer also upgraded EMC (EMC) to outperform from perform, citing valuation and expectations for strong Q2 results. The firm set a $22 price target for shares.
• Piper Jaffray upgraded Juniper (JNPR) to overweight from neutral, citing valuation and its longer-term outlook. The firm keeps a $31 price target for shares.
• Kilroy Realty (KRC) was upgraded to neutral from underperform at BofA/Merrill.
• Veolia Environment (VE) was upgraded to buy from add at WestLB.
• QEP Resources (QEP) was upgraded to positive from neutral at Susquehanna.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ALL, EMC, FCN, IRBT, JNPR, MRVL, RNOW, TRV, VRSN ...

Analyst Calls: ALL, EMC, FCN, IRBT, JNPR, MRVL, RNOW, TRV, VRSN ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Bernstein upgraded Boeing (BA) to outperform from market perform, citing valuation. The firm also raised its price target to $81 from $80.
• Wells Fargo upgraded Thomas & Betts (TNB) to outperform from market perform, citing valuation and an expected recovery in North American nonresidential construction.
• RBC Capital upgraded Susquehanna (SUSQ) to outperform from sector perform and has a $14 target on the stock. The firm thinks the stock's valuation is attractive as its decline in response to the European debt crisis and financial regulatory reform has been overdone.
• Priceline.com (PCLN) was upgraded to buy from hold at KeyBanc.
• Genzyme (GENZ) was upgraded to neutral from underweight at JPMorgan.
• RightNow (RNOW) was upgraded to overweight from market weight at Thomas Weisel.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: A, BA, DPS, DVOX, GENZ, GLW, GR, HAL, PCLN, SUSQ, TCRD, TNB ...

Analyst Calls: A, BA, DPS, DVOX, GENZ, GLW, GR, HAL, PCLN, SUSQ, TCRD, TNB ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 01 Jun 2010 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Piper Jaffray upgraded Psychiatric Solutions (PSYS) to neutral from underweight on expectations the company's merger with Universal Health (UHS) will close.
• Jefferies upgraded Intuit (INTU) to buy from neutral and has a $45 price target on the stock. The firm expects Intuit's 2011 tax season to be at least as good as 2010's and sees improvement in the SMB exposed businesses.
• Wells Fargo upgraded Unica (UNCA) to outperform from market perform. The firm upgraded the stock due to what it sees as improving trends in marketing spending, upcoming enhancements in the company's products and long-term opportunity for marketing software to exceed expectations.
• Textron (TXT) was upgraded to conviction buy from buy at Goldman.
• RightNow (RNOW) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at FBR Capital.
• Beazer Homes (BZH) was upgraded to buy from hold at Citigroup.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AAPL, DWA, INTU, NFLX, PSYS, PVH, ROSE, TEVA, UNCA ...

Analyst Calls: AAPL, DWA, INTU, NFLX, PSYS, PVH, ROSE, TEVA, UNCA ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 18 May 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In 1997, tech entrepreneur Greg Gianforte started a company in an extra bedroom in his house. It became known as RightNow Technologies (NASDAQ: RNOW), which now generates more than $100 million in annual revenues.

Recently, I had a chance to talk to Greg. I asked him: Is it a good time to start a business?

His answer was simple: It's always a good time to start a business.

Continue reading Entrepreneur's Journal: What business to start now?

Entrepreneur's Journal: What business to start now? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 09 Aug 2009 18:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here are some highlights from last week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) reported a surprise profit but is expected to return to losses next quarter.
• Coach Inc. (NYSE: COH) profit and revenue were in line with expectations, sending shares lower.
• Corning Inc. (NYSE: GLW) posted better-than-expected earnings but other concerns drove down shares.
• eHealth Inc. (NASDAQ: EHTH) reported solid Q2 numbers but Wall Street was not impressed.
• Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. (NYSE: GT) posted a smaller-than-expected Q2 loss, sending shares higher.
• JAKKS Pacific Inc. (NASDAQ: JAKK) reported swinging to a Q2 net loss and revenues were flat.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Coach, Corning, Goodyear, Visa, Waste Management ...

Earnings highlights: Coach, Corning, Goodyear, Visa, Waste Management ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 01 Aug 2009 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Yesterday, I had a chance to talk to Greg Gianforte, who is the CEO and founder of RightNow Technologies (NASDAQ: RNOW). Back in 1997, he had the foresight to realize the power of Internet technologies to help with customer service.

And, according to RightNow's Q2 earnings report (which came out yesterday), the vision continues to gain traction. Revenues increased from $35.2 million to $36.3 million. While this does not sound like much, it is certainly an achievement in light of the tough information technology (IT) spending environment.

Continue reading RightNow is on the right path

RightNow is on the right path originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Oppenheimer upgraded Amdocs (NYSE: DOX) to Outperform from Perform on expectations the company is gaining momentum following recent contract wins. The firm set a $27 price target on the stock.
• FBR Capital upgraded Starwood Hotels (NYSE: HOT) to Market Perform from Underperform after raising the Lodging sector to Overweight from Neutral. The firm cites improving demand data, potential foreign exchange benefits, and continued asset sales for the upgrade and raised its target price on Starwood to $19 from $14.
• BofA/Merrill upgraded Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) to Buy from Neutral. The firm expects Goldman to beat Q2 estimates due favorable trading and underwriting conditions. The firm raised estimates and increased its price target to $175 from $144.
• Jefferies (NYSE: JEF) was upgraded to Neutral from Sell at Pali Capital.
• KB Home (NYSE: KBH) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse.
• Ciena (NASDAQ: CIEN) was upgraded to Market Perform from Underperform at JMP Securities.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: CIEN, GOLD, GS, INTU, KBH, XOM ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: CIEN, GOLD, GS, INTU, KBH, XOM ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Keefe Bruyette upgraded shares of Colonial Bancgroup (NYSE: CNB) to Outperform from Market Perform on valuation following the recent weakness and believes the company will be eligible to receive TARP funds. Morgan Stanley believes the company's valuation adequately reflects risk to the loan portfolio; the firm raised shares to Equal Weight from Underweight.
• Merrill upgraded Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) and ASML Holding (NASDAQ: ASML) to Buy from Underperform and believes their valuation reflects the worst-case for bad news.
• Oppenheimer upgraded Trimble Navigation to Outperform from Perform on valuation as they believe the company's long-term growth story is intact.
• Celestica (NYSE: CLS) was upgraded to Sector Outperformer from Sector Performer at CIBC.
• KeyCorp (NYSE: KEY) was added to Goldman's Conviction Buy List.
• Wachovia raised EastGroup Properties (NYSE: EGP) to Outperform from Market Perform.

• UBS cut Barclays (NYSE: BCS) to Neutral from Buy as they believe capital raises could negatively impact earnings and that the dividend is likely to be cut.
• JP Morgan downgraded Discovery Holdings (NASDAQ: DISCA) to Underweight from Neutral based on valuation and the deteriorating economic outlook.
• Friedman Billings downgraded shares of Janus Capital (NYSE: JNS) to Underperform from Market Perform and lowered its target to $7 from $23 as they see further risk to the downside following the company's weaker-than-expected results.
• LKQ Corp (NASDAQ: LKQX) was cut to Sector Perform from Outperform at RBC Capital.
• Affymetrix (NASDAQ: AFFX) was lowered to Sell from Hold at Deutsche Bank.
• RightNow Tech (NASDAQ: RNOW) was downgraded at Baird to Neutral from Outperform.

Continue reading Analyst calls: CNB, ERIC, ASML, TRMB, BCS, DISCA, JNS, RGEN, GPS and NTY

Analyst calls: CNB, ERIC, ASML, TRMB, BCS, DISCA, JNS, RGEN, GPS and NTY originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 24 Oct 2008 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The earnings crunch is in full swing, and here are a few of the highlights of this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Airgas Inc. (NYSE: ARG) beat expectations and raised its guidance.
• Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) beat estimates and said the 787 Dreamliner was on schedule.
• Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. (NYSE: BNI) fourth-quarter profits fell on rising fuel costs.
• Crane Co. (NYSE: CR) beat expectations and raised its guidance.
• Dow Chemical Co. (NYSE: DOW) profits fell due to rising costs of raw materials.
• Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) posted the largest annual and quarterly profit ever by a U.S. company.
• Halliburton Co. (NYSE: HAL) beat earnings expectations due to strong international growth.
• Honda Motor Co. (NYSE: HMC) posted record earnings for the third quarter on demand for fuel efficiency.
• JetBlue Airways Corp. (NASDAQ: JBLU) posted a narrower-than-expected loss.
• Nissan Motor Co. (NASDAQ: NSANY) posted strong results due in part to U.S. sales of the Rogue.
• Occidental Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: OXY) fourth-quarter profit surged, leading to its best yearly results ever.
• Paraexel International Corp. (NASDAQ: PRXL) beat estimates and offered revised guidance.
• Ratheon Co. (NYSE: RTN) posted strong fourth-quarter results and offered optimistic guidance.
• RightNow Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: RNOW) posted a loss, though revenues were up.
• Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE) posted solid results on TV sales and the game division's return to the black.
• Stanley Works (NYSE: SWK) posted solid results despite the housing slump due to strength overseas.
• United Parcel Service Inc. (NYSE: UPS) met earnings estimates due to a pension-related charge.
• US Steel Corp. (NYSE: X) fourth-quarter and full-year profits declined on acquisition costs and job cuts.
• Valero Energy Corp. (NYSE: VLO) beat expectations despite a profit decline of 49%.

For additional BloggingStocks earnings highlights, see Yahoo!, Google, Amazon, Countrywide, Merck, UBS and others and McDonald's, Kraft, P&G, Verizon, MasterCard, 3M and others.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Exxon, Boeing, Halliburton, Sony, UPS, Honda and others

Earnings highlights: Exxon, Boeing, Halliburton, Sony, UPS, Honda and others originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 02 Feb 2008 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• DirecTV (NASDAQ: DTV) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Lehman, as they believe it is well positioned to outperform in the difficult macro environment.
  
• UBS believes Salesforce.com's (NYSE: CRM) Force.com platform has strong differentiation in the marketplace and will help CRM benefit from spending outside of the customer management area. The firm raised its rating to Buy from Neutral.
  
• ING upgraded Total SA (NYSE: TOT) to Buy from Hold as they believe positive results from the company's downstream operations in Europe will support the stock.

• Eli Lilly & Co. (NYSE: LLY) was upgraded to Equal Weight from Underweight at Morgan Stanley.
  
• Lam Research (NASDAQ: LRCX) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Lehman.
  
• Goldman upgraded RightNow Tech (NASDAQ: RNOW) to Neutral from Sell.

Analyst upgrades: DirecTV, Salesforce.com, Total SA originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 07 Jan 2008 11:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Software as a Service? I do Concur originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 19 Dec 2007 18:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT) to Buy from Neutral on valuation, and is positive on the company's free cash flow generation.
  
• Wachovia raised Paccar Inc. (NASDAQ: PCAR) estimates to Market Perform from Underperform based on better-than-expected European performance.
  
• Citigroup upgraded shares of Pacific Sunwear (NASDAQ: PSUN) to Buy from Hold as they believe the demo division divestiture and improving product execution in core PacSun stores could drive accelerating EPS growth.
  
• Citigroup also upgraded shares of Talbots Inc. (NYSE: TLB) to Hold from Sell on valuation but remains concerned about the company's long-term outlook.
  
• Roth Capital upgraded RightNow Technologies (NASDAQ: RNOW) to Buy from Hold, as they are encouraged by RNOW's Q3 results and raised guidance and believes the worst is behind the company.

• Goldman added Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) to its Conviction Buy List.
  
• Thomas Weisel upgraded Akamai (NADAQ: AKAM) to Overweight from Market Weight.
  
• Lehman upgraded Harley Davidson (NYSE: HOG) to Equal Weight from Underweight.
  
• Gabelli upgraded Coca-Cola Enterprises (NYSE: CCE) to Hold from Sell.

Analyst upgrades: MOT, PCAR, PSUN, TLB and RNOW originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 25 Oct 2007 10:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• HSBC upgraded AU Optronics (NYSE: AUO) to Overweight from Neutral following the company's Q2 results.

• Jefferies raised RightNow Technology (NASDAQ: RNOW) to Buy from Hold, believing low expectations have created a buying opportunity and that fundamentals remain intact.

• JP Morgan upgraded shares of Alaska Air (NYSE: ALK) to Overweight from Netural on valuation.

• Citigroup upgraded Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN) to Buy from Hold on valuation; they consider the recent pullback a buying opportunity.

• Citigroup upgraded Gap (NYSE: GPS) to Buy from Hold from valuation and expects for better execution and cost savings in 2008 under the new CEO.

• Credit Suise upgraded Old Dominion Freight Line (NASDAQ: ODFL) to Outperform from Neutral on valuation...

• Merriman upgraded MicroTune (NASDAQ: TUNE) to Buy from Neutral.

• Citirgroup raised Aeropostale (NYSE: ARO) to Hold from Sell.

• Merrill upgraded Cathay General (NASDAQ: CATY) to Neutral from Sell.

• The NYSE Euronext (NYSE: NYX) was upgraded to Neutral from Sell.

• Wachovia raised shares of Wendy's (NYSE: WEN) to Market Perform from Underperform.

Analyst upgrades 7-27-07: GPS, JWN, NYX and ODFL originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 27 Jul 2007 10:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Matrix downgraded Advantest (NYSE: ATE) to Strong Sell from Hold; the firm doesn't expect Advantest's profits to improve in the near-term after chip makers indicated they plan to cut capital spending.

• RightNow Technologies (NASDAQ: RNOW) was cut to Sector Perform from Outperform at Pacific Crest to reflect the company's poor execution.

• Mattson Technology (NASDAQ: MTSN) was downgraded to Sell from Buy at American Technology; The firm said Q2 results were strong but bookings and gross margin outlook were weaker due to memory spending weakness.

• Credit Suisse downgraded P.F. Chang's (NASDAQ: PFCB) to Market Weight from Overweight at Thomas Wiesel to reflect below plan new store performance for the third consecutive year at Pei Wei...

• Citigroup cut Taiwan Semi (NYSE: TSM) to Hold from Buy.

• Merriman downgraded Fuel Tech (NASDAQ: FTEK) to Neutral from Buy.

• Bear Stearns cut Hess Corp (NYSE: HES) to Peer Perform from Outperform.

• Goldman Sachs removed Merrill Lynch (NYSE: MER) from its Conviction Buy list.

Analyst downgrades 7-26-07: ATE, MER, PFCB and TSM originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 26 Jul 2007 11:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Wachovia upgraded Lee Enterprises (NYSE: LEE) to Market Perform from Underperform on valuation.

• RBC Capital raised Pep Boys (NYSE: PBY) to Sector Perform from Underperform citing upside potential from its real estate monetization strategy.

• Cumulus Media (NASDAQ: CMLS) was upgraded to Hold from Sell at Citigroup based on the proposed buyout offer.

• VeraSun Energy (NYSE: VSE) was upgraded to Hold from Sell at Soleil based on the acquisition of three 110mgy ethanol projects from ASAlliance.

• Gabelli upgraded Acuity Brands (NYSE: AYI) to Hold from Sell following the company's announcement that it will pursue a tax-free spin-off of its specialty products business...

• Keefe Bruyette upgraded Delphi Financial Group (NYSE: DFG) to Outperform from Market Perform.

• RightNow Technologies (NASDAQ: RNOW) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse.

• Pacific upgraded Secure Computing (NASDAQ: SCUR) to Outperform from Sector Perform.

• Lehman raised Xcel Energy (NYSE: XEL) to Equal Weight from Underweight.

• Stanford upgraded Amylin Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: AMLN) to Buy from Hold.

Analyst upgrades 7-24-07: CMLS, DFG, PBY and RNOW originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 24 Jul 2007 10:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Stifel expects Dreamworks Animation's (NYSE: DWA) fundamental outlook for film to improve given a more accommodating home entertainment market, while next-gen DVD format adoption and the introduction of 3D exhibition in theaters creates incremental opportunities for film studios. The firm started shares off with a Buy rating.
  
• Wachovia believes BlackRock (NYSE: BLK) is one of the best-positioned managers in both product and geographic perspectives and initiated shares with an Outperform rating.
  
• BMO Capital believes Mariner Energy (NYSE: ME) has a number of catalysts that could push shares higher, but feels current trading levels are not attractive. BMO started shares with a Market Perform rating.
  
• William Blair views Franklin Resources (NYSE: BEN) as a premier global firm with an advantage in many attractive international markets and started shares with an Outperform rating.
  
• Cantor believes RightNow Tech's (NASDAQ: RNOW) transition creates significant execution risk, initiated shares with a Hold rating...

• China Sunergy (NASDAQ: CSUN) was initiated with a Neutral rating at Cowen.
  
• Banc Of America initiated shares of The Stanley Works (NYSE: SWK) with a Neutral rating.
  
• Yamana Gold (NYSE: AUY) was started with a Buy rating and Credit Suisse.
  
• Deutsche Bank initiated Cree (NASDAQ: CREE) with a Hold rating.

Analyst initiations 7-13-07: AUY, BLK, DWA and RNOW originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 13 Jul 2007 10:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.