Analyst Upgrades

• Citigroup upgraded Endo Pharmaceuticals (ENDP) to buy from hold and raised its price target for shares to $40 from $28 following the company's acquisition of Qualitest. The firm believes the deal makes financial and strategic sense. Shares were also upgraded to outperform from perform at Oppenheimer with a $40 price target following the company's acquisition of Qualitest. The firm views the deal as potentially transformative for Endo.
• Goldman upgraded Carnival (CCL) to buy from neutral, citing low supply growth and cost-cutting measures. The firm also raised its price target to $44 from $36.
• Needham upgraded Jabil Circuit (JBL) to strong buy from buy with a $23 target.
• Siliconware Precision (SPIL), United Microelectronic (UMC) and Advanced Semiconductor (ASX) were upgraded to buy from underperform at BofA/Merrill.
• Check Point (CHKP) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.
• Raymond James (RJF) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Ticonderoga.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AZN, BYI, CCL, ENDP, JCG, MFE, MGM, PLCE, RRC, WYNN ...

Analyst Calls: AZN, BYI, CCL, ENDP, JCG, MFE, MGM, PLCE, RRC, WYNN ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• KeyBanc upgraded Las Vegas Sands (LVS) to hold from underweight based on Singapore performance and a potential revaluation of the yuan.
• ThinkEquity upgraded Seattle Genetics (SGEN) to buy from hold based on the positive SGN-35 HL data. The firm raised its price target to $16 from $12.
• Merriman upgraded Applied Signal (APSG) to buy from neutral with a $28 to $31 valuation range, citing greater confidence in earnings estimates and the company's recent contract wins.
• Siliconware Precision (SPIL) was upgraded to neutral from underperform at Macquarie.
• Pulte Group (PHM) was upgraded to neutral from sell at Goldman.
• Greenbrier (GBX) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Morgan Keegan.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AAI, APSG, D, GBX, HSP, LVS, SGEN, SI, SON, TGT, TXT ...

Analyst Calls: AAI, APSG, D, GBX, HSP, LVS, SGEN, SI, SON, TGT, TXT ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 28 Sep 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• FBR Capital upgraded Franklin Resources (BEN) to outperform from market perform and raised its target price for shares to $127 from $105 to reflect its belief the company is well positioned in the current environment.
• UBS upgraded Nuance (NUAN) to buy from neutral and has an $18 price target on the stock. The firm upgraded shares based on valuation and believes the company could be an acquisition target.
• Morgan Stanley upgraded DryShips (DRYS) to equal weight from underweight and has a $5.50 target on the stock. The firm cites the firmer ultra-deepwater drilling market for the upgrade.
• Becton Dickinson (BDX) was upgraded to neutral from sell at Goldman.
• Edwards Lifesciences (EW) was upgraded to market perform at Rodman & Renshaw.
• Arkansas Best (ABFS) was upgraded to neutral from underperform at BofA/Merrill.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: BCR, BEN, DRYS, INT, ISRG, NKE, NOK, NUAN, VCLK, ZMH ...

Analyst Calls: BCR, BEN, DRYS, INT, ISRG, NKE, NOK, NUAN, VCLK, ZMH ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• HSBC upgraded Massey Energy (MEE) to overweight from neutral based on improved 2011 pricing power given industry supply-side discipline. Despite the upgrade, the firm cuts its price target to $40 from $54.
• Needham upgraded Blue Coat Systems (BCSI) to buy from hold following yesterday's announcement that Michael J. Borman has been named the new CEO. The firm has a $27 price target on the stock.
• Citigroup upgraded Teekay Offshore Partners (TOO) to buy from hold after the company announced shuttle tanker contracts to reflect improved operating performance. The firm raised its target for shares to $26 from $15.
• Prosperity Bancshares (PRSP) was upgraded to equal weight from underweight at Morgan Stanley.
• Ceradyne (CRDN) was upgraded to buy from hold at Benchmark Co.
• CTC Media (CTCM) was upgraded to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AAPL, BCSI, CIT, MEE, POT, RIMM, SAN, SKS, TOO ...

Analyst Calls: AAPL, BCSI, CIT, MEE, POT, RIMM, SAN, SKS, TOO ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• CLSA upgraded Capital One (COF) to outperform from underperform based on valuation and an acceleration in loan growth. The firm raised its price target to $43 from $40.
• KeyBanc upgraded Brush Engineered (BW) to buy from hold based on increased confidence in profit momentum in Specialty Engineered Alloys, valuation and value-added revenue unit growth. The firm has a $30 target on the stock.
• Stifel Nicolaus upgraded Heico (HEI) to buy from hold with a $42 target, citing the better-than-expected Q3 results.
• Greenbrier (GBX) was upgraded to buy from hold at BB&T.
• Paychex (PAYX) was upgraded to hold from sell at Deutsche Bank.
• A. Schulman (SHLM) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Longbow.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ASX, BW, CBOE, COF, CREE, MDT, NDAQ, SCHW, TSM ...

Analyst Calls: ASX, BW, CBOE, COF, CREE, MDT, NDAQ, SCHW, TSM ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Deutsche Bank upgraded BT Group (NYSE: BT) to Buy from Hold as it believes the company's Q4 results could remove uncertainty and cost cutting initiatives could drive upside.
  
• Baird upgraded Stanley Works (NYSE: SWK) to Outperform from Neutral and raised their target to $42 from $34 citing valuation, solid execution, and growth potential.
  
• Citigroup upgraded Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) to Buy from Hold as it believes the recent sell-off presents an attractive buying opportunity. The firm believes Netflix has one of the best earnings outlooks in the internet sector and increased its target price to $52 from $37.
• AstraZeneca (NASDAQ: AZN) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at UBS.
  
• Joy Global (NYSE: JOYG) and Bucyrus (NYSE: BUCY) were raised to Buy from Neutral at Goldman.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: BT, NFLX, AZN, PFE ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: BT, NFLX, AZN, PFE ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 27 Apr 2009 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Citigroup upgraded Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) to Buy from Hold on expectations the company's top-line growth rate could be more sustainable than expected and its operating margins could recover given due to less retail discounting. The firm raised its price target on shares to $97 from $65.
  
• UBS upgraded King Pharmaceuticals (NYSE: KG) to Buy from Sell based on expectations that Sandoz will settle patent litigation regarding Skelaxin after last weeks settlement of Clarinex with Schering-Plough (SGP).
  
• Jefferies upgraded Reliance Steel (NYSE: RS) to Buy from Hold as it believes steel prices and demand are close to near-term bottoms. The firm raised its target on the stock to $44 from $25.
• Palm (NASDAQ: PALM) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Banc of America/Merrill.
  
• Nestle (OTC: NSRGY) was lifted to Neutral from Underweight at JP Morgan.
• Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) was upgraded at Wachovia to Outperform from Market Perform.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AMZN, RS, JNJ, NFLX ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AMZN, RS, JNJ, NFLX ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• UBS upgraded Nokia (NYSE: NOK) to Buy from Neutral as it believes the company's product portfolio is recovering.
  
• Canaccord upgraded Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) to Buy from Hold and raised its target to $450 from $300. The analyst said industry checks indicate deteriorating search conditions have started to improve in late March and notes that the market is already pricing in a weak Q1.
  
• Wachovia upgraded CGI (NYSE: GIB) to Outperform from Market Perform. In addition to valuation, the firm cited the company's defensive profile, comfort with its fiscal 2009 estimates, and its expectation that the company will continue to have strong signings.
• Siliconware Precision (NASDAQ: SPIL) was raised to Overweight from Neutral at HSBC.
  
• Matrixx Initiatives (NASDAQ: MTXX) was lifted to Buy from Hold at Roth Capital.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: NOK, GOOG, IHG, PETS ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: NOK, GOOG, IHG, PETS ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 26 Mar 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Goldman upgraded Siemens AG (NYSE: SI) to Buy from Neutral and views shares as defensive in the current environment.
  
• Merriman upgraded shares of Siliconware Precision (NASDAQ: SPIL) to Buy from Neutral on valuation, as they believe the negative sentiment regarding the U.S. economy is already priced into shares.
• JP Morgan upgraded Palm (NASDAQ: PALM) to Overweight from Underweight citing new smart-phone products expected in 2008 and stronger-than-expected Centro sales.

• Pep Boys (NYSE: PBY) was raised to Neutral from Underperform at Credit Suisse.
• Jefferies upgraded Pioneer Drilling (NYSE: PDC) to Buy from Hold.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded Cablevision (NYSE: CVC) to Buy from Hold.

Analyst upgrades: SI, SPIL and PALM originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 04 Feb 2008 10:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Jefferies named Novell (NASDAQ: NOVL) its Tuesday Value Pick and upgraded shares to Buy from Hold based on expectation for revenue stabilization and gradually improving margins throughout 2008. They note the company has $3.64 in cash per share.
  
• JP Morgan upgraded Con-Way (NYSE: CNW) to Overweight from Neutral, citing strong execution following the company's Q4 report.
  
• Flamel Tech (NASDAQ: FLML) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Merriman, as they believe low expectations and the company's robust pipeline create upside the potential for upside in 2008.

• Toyota (NYSE: TM) was upgraded to Neutral from Underweight at HSBC.
  
• UBS upgraded Arris (NASDAQ: ARRS) to Buy from Neutral.
  
• BNP Paribas raised Siliconware Precision (NASDAQ: SPIL) to Buy from Hold.

Analyst upgrades: NOVL, CNW, FLML, TM originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 29 Jan 2008 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• CIBC downgraded Heelys (NASDAQ: HLYS) to Underperformer from Sector Performer. The analyst has little confidence sales will recover following the recent drop.
  
• CIBC also downgraded Citigroup (NYSE: C) to Sector Underperformer from Sector Performer, as they believe the company may have to cut its dividend, raise cash or sell assets in order to raise $30B over the near-term; the firm believes such a move would pressure shares significantly.
  
• Merriman downgraded shares of Alvarion (NASDAQ: ALVR) to Neutral from Buy after the in-line results as they now believe increased competition will pressure gross margins and minimize operating leverage in FY08.
  
• Merrill downgraded shares of UBS AG (NYSE: UBS) to Neutral from Buy to reflect the potential of further write downs.
  
• Banc of America lowered its rating on Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) to Neutral from Buy to reflect poor execution of the company's turnaround strategy.

• Goldman removed Vimpelcom (NYSE: VIP) from its Pan European Buy List and downgraded shares to Neutral from Buy.
  
• Silicon Precision (NASDAQ: SPIL) was downgraded to Hold from Buy at ABN Amro.
  
• Lehman downgraded Amylin Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: AMLN) to Underweight from Equal Weight.
  
• Baird downgraded Dionex (NASDAQ: DNEX) to Underperform from Neutral.

Analyst downgrades: HLYS, C, ALVR, UBS and ALU originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 01 Nov 2007 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Nollenberger initiated shares of Gander Mountain Company (NASDAQ: GMTN) with a Sell rating and $5.00 target, and believes the company's goal of reaching profitability in 2007 could prove overly optimistic.
  
• Lev Pharmaceuticals (OTC: LEVP) was initiated with a Sector Outperformer rating and $3 target at CIBC, as the firm believes Cinryze will likely be approved in 1Q08 and they expect the company to have significant pricing leverage.
  
• JP Morgan resumed coverage of Intermune Inc (NASDAQ: ITMN) with an Overweight rating and expects shares to be driven by the company's pipeline in IPF and HCV.
  
• Aetna Incorporated (NYSE: AET) was initiated with an Outperform rating at Wachovia. The firm feels Aetna is positioned for better growth and higher quality earnings than its peers.
  
• William Blair started shares of Medco Health Solutions Inc (NYSE: MHS) with an Outperform rating, as they believe an aging population, rising health care costs, and an acceleration in new product introductions should increase demand for PBM services over the next five years.

• ABN Amro started shares of Siliconware Precision Industries Company Ltd (NASDAQ: SPIL) and Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc (NYSE: ASX) with Buy ratings.
  
• Goldman initiated Silicon Image Inc (NASDAQ: SIMG) with a Sell rating and $4.50 target, and initiated Sigma Designs Inc (NASDAQ: SIGM) and SiRF Technology Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: SIRF) with Neutral ratings and a $43 target and $19 target, respectively.

Analyst initiations: GMTN, LEVP, ITMN, AET and MHS originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 27 Sep 2007 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.