Freeport McMoran Copper (FCX) is a miner of copper, gold and molybdenum. It has operations in North and South America, Indonesia and Africa, and competes with other miners such as the Southern Copper (SCCO), Codelco and Newmont Mining (NEM).

Continue reading Should Freeport Pursue Lundin Mining?

Should Freeport Pursue Lundin Mining? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 10 Mar 2011 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Southern Copper (SCCO) closed down 0.5%. Copper futures rose 0.61%, according to Bloomberg. Overall option implied volatility of 36 is near its 26-week average, according to Track Data, suggesting non-directional price movement.

KB Home (KBH) is expected to report Q4 EPS on Jan. 7. KBH January call option implied volatility is at 55, February is at 53, above its 26-week average of 51, according to Track Data, suggesting larger price movement.

Options Update is by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

Options Update: Southern Copper Volatility Flat; Shares Near Record High originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Deutsche Bank upgraded Southern Copper (SCCO) to buy from hold to reflect valuation and positive near-term catalysts. The firm raised its target for shares to $38 from $35.
• JMP Securities upgraded Ultimate Software (ULTI) to outperform from market perform. The firm cites the company's expanding employee base for the upgrade. The firm has a $40 target on the stock.
• Piper Jaffray upgraded Aeropostale (ARO) to neutral from underweight following the company's Q4 results and raised its target for shares to $31 from $24.
• Kennametal (KMT) was upgraded to sell from conviction sell at Goldman.
• Lifetime Brands (LCUT) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Barrington.
• Volvo (VOLVY) was upgraded to overweight from underweight at JPMorgan.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ABT, ARO, BMY, CELG, DNDN, FACT, GS, PSUN, SCCO, ULTI ...

Analyst Calls: ABT, ARO, BMY, CELG, DNDN, FACT, GS, PSUN, SCCO, ULTI ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Market Vector Gold Miners (GDX) closed at $44.64. Gold is recently up 0.19% to $1120.40. GDX overall option implied volatility of 39 is below its 26-week average of 43, according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price movement.

Southern Copper (SCCO) closed at $30.08. Copper is recently up 1.95% to 334.80, according to Bloomberg. SCCO March option implied volatility is at 41, April and June is at 42; near its 26-week average of 43, according to Track Data, suggesting non-directional price movement.

Continue reading Options Update: Southern Market Vector Gold Miners Volatility Flat, Gold Stable at $1120

Options Update: Southern Market Vector Gold Miners Volatility Flat, Gold Stable at $1120 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Options expert and stock trader Bernie Schaeffer combines fundamental, technical and sentiment-based metrics to select his specific trades.

In his latest The Options Advisor, he looks at a trio of diverse trades: wireless semiconductor play, Broadcom (NASDAQ: BRCM); homebuilder, Ryland Group (NYSE: RYL); and miner, Southern Copper (NYSE: PCU).

"Broadcom has rocketed up the charts in 2009, racking up a year-to-date gain of about 74%. The stock has stair-stepped consistently higher since January, capitalizing on support at its 10-week and 20-week moving averages.

"BRCM's relentless upward momentum has forced many short sellers out of their bearish positions, as short interest on the equity dropped by nearly 20% during the past month.

Continue reading Bernie's bets: A trio of trades from Schaeffer

Bernie's bets: A trio of trades from Schaeffer originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Weakness in commodities suggests a screaming sign of an overreaction; it's time to take another look at a high-quality, high-yielding commodity stocks such as Southern Copper (NYSE: PCU)," says global investing expert Nick Lanyi.

In his High Yield International, he says, "With mines in Mexico and Peru, Southern Copper ranks #1 in total copper reserves of any publicly traded company, making it almost a pure play on a rebound in the metal's price." Here's his contrarian outlook.

"Southern Copper has enough reserves to continue its current rate of production for the next 80 years without a single expansion or acquisition.

"With copper prices falling, the firm's earnings are taking a hit -- and the dividend has recently been cut. Now that this cut has already been factored into the shares, I think it's a better time to look at the stock than just a few weeks ago.

"Based on 2008 dividends, the stock yields 12.7% at the current price. Even if the dividend comes down more, I look for a yield of 8-9% over the next 12 months.

Continue reading Southern Copper (PCU): Mining for high returns

Southern Copper (PCU): Mining for high returns originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 10:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Bernstein upgraded Talisman Energy Inc (NYSE: TLM) to Outperform from Market Perform on valuation and potential exploration success in Vietnam and raised Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: APC), Devon Energy Corporation (NYSE: DVN) and EOG Resources Inc (NYSE: EOG) to Market Perform from Underperform on improving gas fundamentals.
• Bernstein also upgraded shares of BP PLC (NYSE: BP) and BG Group (NYSE: BRG) to Outperform from Market Perform.
• Check Point Software Technologies (NASDAQ: CHKP) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Friedman Billings, citing checks that indicate a strong product cycle for the company's beefed up VPN/firewall product portfolio.
• ValueClick (NASDAQ: VCLK) was upgraded at Citigroup to Buy from Hold on valuation, as they believe the recent correction provides a compelling entry point.

• Merrill Lynch upgraded shares of Alcoa Inc (NYSE: AA), Alumina Ltd (NYSE: AWC) and Century Aluminum Company (NASDAQ: CENX) to Buy from Neutral and shares of Southern Copper Corporation (NYSE: PCU) to Neutral from Sell.
• JP Morgan upgraded shares of Tempur Pedic International (NYSE: TPX) to Overweight from Neutral.
  
• Infineon Technologies (NYSE: IFX) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse.

Analyst upgrades 9-5-07: BP, BRG, CHKP and VCLK originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 05 Sep 2007 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• Amid mounting criticism for its role in the subprime crisis, McGraw Hill Companies Inc (NYSE: MHP) replaced Kathleen Corbet, the president of Standard & Poors, with Deven Sharma, a McGraw Hill senior VP who has been with S&P since the end of last year, reported the Wall Street Journal.
• Barron's Online's "Inside Scoop" column reported that Aeropostale Inc (NYSE: ARO) CFO Michael Cunningham sold $2.1M in stock Monday at an average price of $22.43 per share, according to SEC data.

• Indian IT outsourcing companies Infosys Technologies (NASDAQ: INFY) and Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT) have reportedly both shown interest in buying out the US-based high-end analytics company MarketRx, which is believed to be worth between $150M and $160M, reported the Economic Times.
• The New York Times reported that General Electric Company's (NYSE: GE) NBC Universal has decided not to renew its contract to sell digital downloads of television shows on Apple Inc's (NASDAQ: AAPL) iTunes online store.
• From BusinessWeek's "Inside Wall Street" column:
  
• Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is making a comeback, thanks to its huge global distribution edge.
  
• Southern Copper Corporation (NYSE: PCU) is a good copper play, as it is undervalued and ignored, especially considering its 6.21% dividend yield.
  
• Ariad Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ARIA) may be one of the more underappreciated and undervalued biotech stocks around.

Newspaper wrap-up: NBC does not renew iTunes contract with Apple originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 31 Aug 2007 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Oppenheimer downgraded shares of Cablevision Systems Corp (NYSE: CVC) to Neutral from Outperform and does not expect a higher bid to emerge.

• Deutsche Bank downgraded Nasdaq Stock Market Inc (NASDAQ: NDAQ) to Hold from Buy, expecting only modest performance in 2007.

• Matrix cut Greenbrier Cos (NYSE: GBX) to Sell from Hold on the belief that slowing demand for double-stack and forest products rail cars is leading to slowing revenues.

• Credit Suisse downgraded Southern Copper (NYSE: PCU) to Underperform from Outperform based on valuation.

• Goldman cut Hawaiian Holdings (AMEX: HA) to Sell from Neutral based on weak fundamentals and increased liquidity concerns.

• Sterne Agee downgraded Blockbuster Inc (NYSE: BBI) to Hold from Buy.

• LoJack Corp (NASDAQ: LOJN) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Needham.

• Axcelis Technologies, Inc (NASDAQ: ACLS) was downgraded to Sell from Hold at AG Edwards.

• CBL & Associates Properties, Inc (NYSE: CBL) was taken down to Sell from Hold at Citigroup.

• Morgan Stanley downgraded UBS AG (NYSE: UBS) to Underweight from Equal Weight.

Analyst downgrades 5-03-07: BBI, CVC and NDAQ originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 03 May 2007 11:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Cramer gets behind Southern Copper...again originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 01 Feb 2007 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Evidently, Jim Cramer can opine on worldwide politics, not just money! Tonight on MAD MONEY he went far afield from his usual fare and pointed to the New York Times World Briefing about how the leader of the Shining Path in Peru will spend the rest of his life in prison.

Cramer, the sort to see an investment decision in any news, said this is actually good for Peru. But what's the pick? He likes Southern Copper Corporation (NYSE:PCU) the best, formerly Southern Peru Copper. He thinks Peru is a good Latin country that is still pro-capitalism. He thinks it is a real democracy, but the real reason to buy is the yield. It yields 8% from its dividend. It is also #4 on Fortune's 100 Fastest-Growing Companies. He said it has larger reserves than Phelps Dodge Corporation (NYSE:PD) and he said the company can smelter copper cheaper than others. He also said a strike resolution was favorable to the company. Cramer also said that the new non-hedging policy on copper prices will create an earnings explosion.

Cramer has been positive on Southern Copper before. Its shares closed down 0.7% at $50.65 in regular trading, but it traded up to $51.50 after Cramer touted the stock. Its 52-week trading range is $24.79 to $54.97.

Cramer goes South -- way South, to Southern Copper originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 18 Oct 2006 18:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.