Analyst Upgrades

• Cree (CREE) and Rubicon Technology (RBCN) to buy from neutral at Merriman.
• Children's Place (PLCE) to outperform from market perform at BMO Capital.
• Lockheed Martin (LMT) to neutral from underperform at BofA/Merrill.
• Copano Energy (CPNO) to outperform from market perform at Morgan Keegan.
• Motorola Mobility (MMI) to neutral from reduce at Nomura.
• Parker-Hannifin (PH) to buy from hold at KeyBanc.
• Akamai (AKAM), ShoreTel (SHOR), AMB Property (AMB) and ProLogis (PLD) to buy from hold at Stifel Nicolaus.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AAPL, AEO, CREE, DELL, HPQ, IBM, LMT, MMI, MYGN, PH ...

Analyst Calls: AAPL, AEO, CREE, DELL, HPQ, IBM, LMT, MMI, MYGN, PH ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 17 Mar 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage on BloggingStocks:

• American International Group Inc. (AIG) said its Q1 earnings doubled, easily topping analysts' expectations.
• Cablevision Systems Corp. (CVC) said Q1 revenue grew, but disappointing earnings dragged down shares.
• Chevron Corp. (CVX) had strong Q1 earnings and boosted its dividend, but Gulf spill concerns weighed on shares.
• CVS Caremark Corp. (CVS) Q1 earnings topped consensus estimates but it also said same-store sales slipped.
• Freddie Mac (FRE) said its lost $8 billion in Q1, less than a year ago, and requested further bailout funds.

Continue reading Earnings Highlights: AIG, Chevron, Freddie Mac, Kraft Foods, Playboy, Visa ...

Earnings Highlights: AIG, Chevron, Freddie Mac, Kraft Foods, Playboy, Visa ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 08 May 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Shares of Sequenom (SQNM) are in danger of breaching key technical support as traders pan the company's first-quarter earnings report. Thursday, SQNM confessed to a loss of 27 cents per share, right in line with analysts' expectations. Revenue arrived at $10.6 million, outpacing consensus forecasts for $10.2 million. So, why did the stock slip more than 12% lower in morning trading?

Traders are likely eyeing two unsavory data points in Sequenom's report. Gross margin dropped year-over-year from 60.6% to 50.5%, while research and development (R&D) expenses jumped from $8.8 million to $11.2 million on an annual basis. Additionally, Sequenom predicted that it won't be ready to file for a premarket approval on its noninvasive T21 test until the end of 2012.

Continue reading Sequenom Set to Breach Support After Earnings

Sequenom Set to Breach Support After Earnings originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 07 May 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage on BloggingStocks:

• Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) received an analyst's downgrade following its disappointing earnings report and guidance.
• Chicago Bridge & Iron Co. (CBI) improved earnings prospects prompted one analyst to upgrade the stock.
• Cintas Corp. (CTAS) lower Q3 earnings topped analysts' expectations, and it reiterated its Q4 earnings guidance.
• CRA International Inc. (CRAI) received an analyst's downgrade following its earnings results for Q1.
• Discover Financial Services (DFS) reported a net loss for Q1 due to a needed boost to its loan loss reserves.

Continue reading Earnings Highlights: Discover, FedEx, GameStop, Guess, Nike, Palm ...

Earnings Highlights: Discover, FedEx, GameStop, Guess, Nike, Palm ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 20 Mar 2010 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Before the Bell: Futures Slightly Higher Ahead of Fed

Before the Bell: Futures Slightly Higher Ahead of Fed originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: The Dollar and Overseas Markets Weigh on U.S. (C, HOV, NEM, RIMM, SQNM, GS, FUN)

Closing Bell: The Dollar and Overseas Markets Weigh on U.S. (C, HOV, NEM, RIMM, SQNM, GS, FUN) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Out of the chute this morning, the S&P/Case-Shiller index rose 1.2% in July and gave the market a nice uptick for a while. Then came the report from the Conference Board that its consumer confidence index for September fell to 53.1 from 54.5 in August. What was worse is that economists had estimated a rise to 57 for the month. The soft confidence number is almost certainly due to people worried about losing their jobs. Right now, it could be that traders are waiting for Friday's unemployment report before jumping one way or the other. The negative news won out and the indexes traded down most of the day.

The numbers:

Dow

S&P 500

Nasdaq

Continue reading Closing Bell: Housing, consumer confidence deliver lukewarm trading (CIT, C, BAC, ACS, XRX, SQNM & RIMM)

Closing Bell: Housing, consumer confidence deliver lukewarm trading (CIT, C, BAC, ACS, XRX, SQNM & RIMM) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Today was an unusually active day for extremely volume increases in several stocks which traded on news and rumors.

Shares in Sequenom (NASDAQ: SQNM) jumped over 10% on takevover rumors.

Rite Aide (NYSE: RAD) moved higher by 5% on larger than normal volume as it beat earnings estimates and Monsanto (NYSE: MON) traded up on strong numbers and took a number of agriculture stocks with it. Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) also benefited from earnings above Wall Street forecasts.

Palm (NASDAQ: PALM) traded higher as RBC upped its price target to $18 from $14, and MEMC (NYSE: WFR) fell on a downgrade from JPMorgan.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at VSInvestor.com.

Today's big stock price moves on big volume originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: When bond yields dominate stocks (LVLT, HD, AMD, INTC, SQNM, DELL)

Closing Bell: When bond yields dominate stocks (LVLT, HD, AMD, INTC, SQNM, DELL) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: Bulls hold the high ground (AXP, STP, PG, TXN, SQNM, MRVL)

Closing Bell: Bulls hold the high ground (AXP, STP, PG, TXN, SQNM, MRVL) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

• Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (NYSE: BMY) Q1 profit fell despite strong sales of Plavix and Abilify.
• Check Point Software Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: CHKP) was downgraded based on its guidance.
• Domino's Pizza Inc. (NYSE: DPZ) strong Q1 results were boosted by early debt retirement.
• DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. (NYSE: DWA) strong Q1 results were driven by Madagascar 2.
• Endo Pharmaceuticals Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: ENDP) Q1 results led to an analyst's downgrade.
• E*Trade Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: ETFC) widened its Q1 loss, sending shares sharply lower.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: P&G, DreamWorks, E*Trade, Netflix, Under Armour, Humana and more

Earnings highlights: P&G, DreamWorks, E*Trade, Netflix, Under Armour, Humana and more originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 02 May 2009 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Stephens upgraded Arris (NASDAQ: ARRS) to Overweight from Equal Weight following the company's Q1 results and raised its target on shares to $15 from $8.
  
• Goldman upgraded Goodyear Tire (NYSE: GT) to Neutral from Sell and raised their target to $11 from $7 citing better earnings prospects and stabilizing volumes.
  
• KeyBanc upgraded Parkway Properties (NYSE: PKY) to Hold from Underweight citing the company's improved balance sheet and valuation.
• Digital River (NASDAQ: DRIV) was raised to Perform from Underperform at Oppenheimer.
  
• Barclays (NYSE: BCS) was raised to Buy from Sell at Royal Bank of Scotland.
  
• First Potomac (NYSE: FPO) was upgraded at RBC Capital to Sector Perform from Underperform.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: GT, BCS, PAS, UPS, HSBC ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: GT, BCS, PAS, UPS, HSBC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Look for Sequenom, Inc. (NASDAQ: SQNM) to be smacked hard by selling pressure today. Late Wednesday, the company reported that improper handling of research and development test data and results by its employees has delayed the launch of its Down's Syndrome test. Sequenom said it's forming a special committee to investigate employee activity related to the tainted test data.

The company's SEQureDx tests the DNA of a fetus, via the mother's blood, in order to determine whether their blood groups are compatible. Although Sequenom can no longer rely on previously announced test data and results, Chief Executive Harry Stylli asserted, "We are not back at square one" on a conference call.

Continue reading Sequenom spirals lower on Down's Syndrome test delay

Sequenom spirals lower on Down's Syndrome test delay originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 30 Apr 2009 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Goldman upgraded Gerdau AmeriSteel (NYSE: GNA) to Buy from Neutral and has a $5.50 target on shares. Shares were upgraded due to the potential impact from infrastructure spending. Note that Goldman downgraded Steel Dynamics (NYSE: STLD) and Olympic Steel (NYSE: ZEUS) to Neutral from Buy.
  
• Banc of America/Merrill upgraded Coca-Cola Enterprises (NYSE: CCE) to Buy from Neutral and raised the price target to $18 from $15. The firm the strong Q1 report gives them greater confidence in shares.
  
• Roth Capital upgraded Halozyme (NASDAQ: HALO) to Buy from Hold due to increased clarity into Roche programs, the discontinuation of the chemophase program, and progress on insulin delivery.
• American Movil (NYSE: AMX) was raised to Overweight from Neutral at JP Morgan and to Hold from Sell at Citigroup.
  
• Barclays (NYSE: BCS) and Lloyds TSB Group (NYSE: LYG) were upgraded at HSBC to Overweight from Neutral.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: GNA, CCE, BCS, SFD, TRI ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: GNA, CCE, BCS, SFD, TRI ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 29 Apr 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Jefferies upgraded Abiomed (NASDAQ: ABMD) to Hold from Underperform on valuation as it believes concerns over the company's Impella heart pump are priced in at current levels. The firm lowered its target price to $7 from $8.
  
• Suntrust upgraded Somanetics (NASDAQ: SMTS) to Neutral from Reduce. The firm believes most of the risk is out of Somanetics shares and that the Q1 report could be a positive catalyst.
  
• Banc of America/Merrill upgraded shares of Telecom Italia (NYSE: TI) to Buy from Neutral on valuation and believes the company's revenue trends are improving.
• China Petroleum & Chemical (NYSE: SNP) was raised to Buy from Neutral at UBS.
• Hexcel (NYSE: HXL) and Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI) were upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Goldman.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ABMD, TI, DKS, SCHW ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ABMD, TI, DKS, SCHW ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 12 Mar 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Intermune (NASDAQ: ITMN) closed at $11.72. ITMN's Pirfenidone Capacity data is expected soon. ITMN February 12.5 straddle is priced at $7.40, April 12.5 straddle is at $9.80 and July 12.5 straddle is priced at $14.10 according to Track Data, suggesting large price movement.

Sequenom (NASDAQ: SQNM) closed at $23.09. SQNM will present Down's syndrome data after the market close today. SQNM February option implied volatility is at140; March is at 120; above its 26-week average of 103, according to Track Data, suggesting larger price movement.

Continue reading Options Update: Developmental companies' volatility elevated into data

Options Update: Developmental companies' volatility elevated into data originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 28 Jan 2009 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Closing Bell: Buffett & Goldman save the day; GS, BRCM, AIG, FNM, SQNM, FSLR

Closing Bell: Buffett & Goldman save the day; GS, BRCM, AIG, FNM, SQNM, FSLR originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sequenom (NASDAQ: SQNM) makes the MassARRAY system, a nucleic acid analysis platform that identifies and quantifies genetic target materials. The system is composed of electronic analysis equipment, related software and various consumables. It is used in biomedical research, livestock testing, oncology diagnoses, molecular medicine, noninvasive prenatal testing, and infectious disease identification. Customers include clinical research laboratories, biotechnology concerns, and universities.

The company surprised the Street last week, when it announced a successful trial of its prenatal test used to detect Down-syndrome in a mother's blood. In blinded studies involving 200 clinical samples, Sequenom's proprietary test identified all Down-syndrome samples with no false positives. The company pointed out that current testing options have a detection rate of 70-90%, with false-positive rates as high as 5%. Management said it will start a study of several thousand samples in the fourth quarter, in preparation for a U.S. launch of the test in the first half of 2009.

Continue reading Sequenom (SQNM): Shares cycle in bullish 'pennant' formation

Sequenom (SQNM): Shares cycle in bullish 'pennant' formation originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This was quite a week in biotechnology. You had a major premium buyout and had much data come out from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and others. This is far from all of the movers, but it is a brief summary of the major gainers from BioHealthInvestor.com showing how large some moves were in biotechnology this week.

Acorda Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: ACOR) had a great week after it announced positive data from a second Phase III study of its Fampridine-SR for patients' walking abilities who suffer from multiple sclerosis (MS). FULL DETAILS

Auxilium Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: AUXL) was a strange stock this week. The company reported great news but shares slid before the market figured out it had misinterpreted news in the company. INITIAL DETAILS

Inspire Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ISPH) saw a surge after it reached its primary endpoint in Phase III trial of Denufosol for Cystic Fibrosis. FULL DETAILS

Continue reading The week's top biotech gainers

The week's top biotech gainers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 06 Jun 2008 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Jefferies initiated AU Optronics (NYSE: AUO) with a Buy rating and $25 target and believes LCD trends will be healthy in 2008 despite a soft economy.
  
• General Steel (NYSE: GSI) shares were started at Merriman with a Buy rating, as the firm believes strong demand for steel in China should last for years and finds the valuation attractive at current levels.
  
• Cantor believes Sequenom (NASDAQ: SQNM) is positioned to establish sustainable market leadership as a provider of genome analytical products and molecular diagnostics. Shares were assumed with a Buy rating and $12 target.

• UBS initiated Altria Group (NYSE: MO) with a Buy rating and $30 target.
  
• Canaccord Adams assumed Drugstore.com (NASDAQ: DSCM) with a Buy rating and $3.50 target.
  
• Goldman Sachs initiated DirecTV (NASDAQ: DTV) with a Buy rating and $30 target.

Analyst initiations: MO, AUO, GSI and SQNM originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.