Analyst Upgrades

• Amgen (AMGN) to overweight from neutral at Piper Jaffray.
• Goodrich Petroleum (GDP) to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo.
• Tutor Perini (TPC) to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Covidien (COV) to buy from neutral at Goldman.
• Sara Lee (SLE) and Comcast (CMCSA) to outperform from market perform at Bernstein.
• Research In Motion (RIMM) to outperform from sector perform at FBN Securities.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AMGN, CMCSA, GDP, FAST, FLR, KBR, PGR, RIMM, SLE, WAG ...

Analyst Calls: AMGN, CMCSA, GDP, FAST, FLR, KBR, PGR, RIMM, SLE, WAG ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Deere (DE) to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo.
• American Eagle (AEO) to buy from neutral at Janney Capital.
• FedEx (FDX) and Shaw (SJR) to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.
• Superior Energy (SPN) and Rowan Cos. (RDC) to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• Tesoro (TSO) to outperform from neutral at Macquarie.
• Mechel (MTL) to buy from neutral at Goldman.
• SunPower (SPWRA), LDK Solar (LDK) and First Solar (FSLR) to buy from hold at ThinkEquity.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AEO, AMP, DE, EBAY, FDX, FRO, FSLR, HBC, SPWR, TSO ...

Analyst Calls: AEO, AMP, DE, EBAY, FDX, FRO, FSLR, HBC, SPWR, TSO ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• SanDisk (SNDK) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at RW Baird.
• JPMorgan resumed Potash (POT) at overweight, up from neutral.
• Ariba (ARBA) was upgraded to buy from neutral at Roth Capital.
• Cirrus Logic (CRUS) was upgraded to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• Morgan Stanley upgraded Tesoro (TSO) to overweight from equal weight.
• Solarfun Power (SOLF) was upgraded to buy from hold at Auriga.
• Barclays upgraded Ciena (CIEN) to overweight from equal weight.
• Optimer Pharm (OPTR) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at JMP Securities.
• Argo Group (AGII) was upgraded to outperform from market perform at FBR Capital.
• BofA/Merrill upgraded Green Mountain (GMCR) to buy from underperform and Southern Company (SO) to neutral from underperform.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ATW, CIEN, DE, GMCR, GPN, MEE, MT, POT, SNDK, SO, TSO ...

Analyst Calls: ATW, CIEN, DE, GMCR, GPN, MEE, MT, POT, SNDK, SO, TSO ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Union Pacific (UNP) and Polycom (PLCM) were upgraded to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo.
• Time Warner Cable (TWC) was upgraded to outperform from sector perform at RBC Capital.
• Cheesecake Factory (CAKE) was upgraded to neutral from underweight at JPMorgan.
• LaSalle Hotel (LHO) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at RW Baird.
• Graco (GGG) was upgraded to buy from hold at BB&T.
• Valley National (VLY) was upgraded to market perform from underperform at Keefe Bruyette.
• Credit Suisse (CS) was upgraded to hold from sell at RBS.
• U.S. Bancorp (USB) was upgraded to outperform from perform at Oppenheimer.
• Penn National (PENN) and Riverbed (RVBD) were upgraded to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• Goodrich (GR) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at Cowen.
• Amazon.com (AMZN) upgraded to buy from average at Caris.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AMZN, CAKE, CS, EMC, FCX, GR, HOT, K, MAR, TWC, UNP, USB ...

Analyst Calls: AMZN, CAKE, CS, EMC, FCX, GR, HOT, K, MAR, TWC, UNP, USB ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• BMO Capital upgraded Church & Dwight (CHD) to outperform from market perform with a $75 price target, citing valuation.
• JPMorgan upgraded Men's Wearhouse (MW) to overweight from neutral with a $25 price target. The firm cites valuation and expectations for margin expansion for the upgrade.
• Longbow upgraded Greenbrier (GBX) to buy from neutral and has a $15 target on the stock. The firm's checks indicate demand is tightening for intermodal railcars.
• Sunpower (SPWRA) was upgraded to buy from hold at Soleil.
• Tesoro (TSO) was upgraded to outperform from sector perform at RBC Capital.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: CHD, COLB, GBX, GD, GSIC, HME, MW, SPWR, VSAT ...

Analyst Calls: CHD, COLB, GBX, GD, GSIC, HME, MW, SPWR, VSAT ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Time and patience should pay-off with Tesoro

Time and patience should pay-off with Tesoro originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Consider Tesoro, because the U.S. is always one refinery short

Consider Tesoro, because the U.S. is always one refinery short originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 23 Apr 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

While other earnings may have disappointed last week, the news was good for oil giant ConocoPhilips (NYSE: COP). In what some took as a good sign for big oil, the Houston-based company reported that third quarter net income surged 41% year over year to $3.39 per share, and that revenue also surged 52% to $70 billion. We'll see whether the good news extends to other petroleum giants scheduled to report quarterly results this week.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial are looking for BP (NYSE: BP) profits to have grown 43.2% in the most recent quarter to $2.34 per share on revenue of $109.7 billion, and Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) to post earnings up 39.4% to $3.25 per share on revenue of $86.8 billion. Marathon Oil Corp. (NYSE: MRO), ExxonMobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM), and Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS.A) likewise are expected to report higher net income of $2.33 per share (sales of $23.4 billion), $2.40 per share (sales of $131.4 billion), and $2.65 per share, respectively. Even Valero Energy Corp. (NYSE: VLO) is expected to post earnings slightly higher to $1.46 per share (sales of $36.4 billion), despite the effects of Hurricane Ike. Among these companies, only BP and Valero beat earnings expectations in the previous quarter. Not surprisingly, analysts on average recommend buying all except Valero, and shares of all of these companies have recently hit 52-week lows.

Continue reading The week in preview: Focus on oil and energy

The week in preview: Focus on oil and energy originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 26 Oct 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Minyanville's Sean Udall dares to share the kind of keen insight and actionable information you won't find in any prospectus. Here he discusses some players in the tech sector. For more original thought, visit www.minyanville.com.

SuccessFactors (NASDAQ: SFSF): The stock prices secondary at $11.80 and is holding pretty tough. I'm watching this one pretty closely and was hoping for some post-secondary weakness to possibly add a starter here. A pretty good balance sheet just got better, but I guess the question is, "What is it going to do with that cash?"

Digital TV Holding (NYSE: STV): This company may have made a bottom recently and the deal announced today is exactly what the company talked about in its last quarterly call. I've commented on the possibility of it securing more revenue streams (partnering for recurring advertising revenue) in the past. It looks to be developing the conduits to deliver on that.

comScore (NASDAQ: SCOR): Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) news is hurting the stock badly. I sold my mine some time back after that series of paid click reports ahead of Google's last quarter that proved to be quite inaccurate. All that aside, I don't think comScore's core business is going to disappear within a compressed time frame and may be worth a long side trade if it moves near or under $20. I'll leave it be and see what develops, as the knife could cut further.

Continue reading What the tech?

What the tech? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 24 Jun 2008 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Kiplinger: Oil refiners not as profitable as we might think

Kiplinger: Oil refiners not as profitable as we might think originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 16 May 2008 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

For a bearish hedged play on this stock, I would consider a January bear-call credit spread above the $65 range. A bear-call credit spread is an options position that combines the purchase and sale of call options to hedge risk in case the stock doesn't do what you think but still leverage nice returns. For this particular trade, we will make a 4.2% return in 9 weeks as long as TSO is below $65 at January expiration. Tesoro would have to rise by more than 21% before we would start to lose money. Learn more about this type of trade here.

Continue reading Tesoro (TSO) drops on Tracinda comments

Tesoro (TSO) drops on Tracinda comments originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 26 Nov 2007 13:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• BMO Capital initiated coverage on Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ARNA) and Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ: GILD) with Outperform ratings and a $16 target and $51 target and Celgene Corp. (NASDAQ: CELG) and Genentech Inc. (NYSE: DNA) with Market Perform ratings and a $69 target and $85 target.
  
• CIBC initiated shares of WESCO International Inc. (NYSE: WCC) with a Sector Outperformer rating and $46 target. The firm believes lower estimates are already priced into shares and that the company's operating initiatives increase the chances for more stable margins in this environment.
  
• Deutsche Bank started shares of Wyndham Worldwide Corp. (NYSE: WYN) with a Buy rating and $41 target. The firm believes stability of the timeshare industry, international expansion and improved transparency will serve as catalysts for shares.
  
• Century Casinos Inc. (NASDAQ: CNTY) was initiated at Nollenberger with a Neutral rating, citing the underperformance of new properties and concerns from the smoking ban in Colorado; however, the firm believes the company is headed in the right direction.

• Soleil started shares of Sunoco Inc. (NYSE: SUN) and Valero Energy Corp. (NYSE: VLO) with Buy ratings and targets of $96 and $88, and initiated shares of Tesoro Corp. (NYSE: TSO) with a Hold rating and $55 target.
  
• Rodman & Renshaw started shares of Labopharm Inc. (NASDAQ: DDSS) with a Market Perform rating.
  
• UBS resumed coverage on Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) with a Buy rating and $34 target.

Analyst initiations: Biotech, WCC, WYN, CNTY, VLO, KR originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 28 Sep 2007 11:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

News of corporate stupidity rarely shocks me, but this insensitive, silly, and stupid case does: The Associated Press coverage of the incident involving Tesoro (NYSE: TSO) pretty much sums it up:

LODI, Calif. -- A gas station cashier who was held up on the job and helped track down the robber has been fired.

The company that owns the station said Cynthia Lopez lost her job because her cash drawer was $16 over its $50 limit.

If you've recovered from the panic attack you just suffered as a result of this shocking news, consider the explanation given by the company's spokesperson: "We do have policies on cash limits in registers to protect our employees' safety. We have a zero-tolerance policy."

So an employee's safety was jeopardized over $16? It's a good thing it wasn't $27 or it could have started World War 3. This woman, who was threatened by a masked robber at gunpoint, had the presence of mind to jot down the license plate number of the getaway car, and note the man's clothing.

If you're as disgusted by this case of corporate stupidity as I am, send an e-mail to the company, and let's try to help Cynthia Lopez get her job back.

Heroic cashier fired after helping catch robber originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 29 Jul 2007 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In his Block Traders Oil & Gold Monitor, advisor Peter Way follows hedge fund and block traders to find stocks with the best prospects.

He explains, "When we look at the guys hedging trades in crude oil futures, it tells us they see far more upside for crude than downside."

Meanwhile, he adds, it looks like the oilpatch stocks should continue in a favorable environment. He notes that many attractive investment prospects are to be found in the smaller independent oil exploration and production (E&P) stocks.

The advisor explains, "These are typically companies that have their own reserves in the ground, and benefit from the industry's supply/demand imbalance situation like the majors. They may acquire each other or be acquired by major producers as the need for and value of reserves becomes even more obvious and pressing in the future."

Among those that appear to have better potential, he believes, are Holly Corp. (NYSE: HOC), along with Tesoro (NYSE: TSO). He observes that both are benefiting from a long-term inadequacy of refining capacity in the US.

Peter Way adds, "Their current value is not in reserves, but in a fattening of profit margins in the process chain from upstream operations (reserves and extraction) to downstream (refining and distribution)."

Overall, he notes, "Given the worldwide energy reserves shortage and the high crude and natural gas prices it engenders, this fattening is not likely to be a temporary condition."

Each day, Steven Halpern's TheStockAdvisors.com features the latest investment ideas and market commentary from the financial newsletter community.

Block Traders: Exploring for oil explorers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 11 Jul 2007 16:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Goldman cut The Mosaic Company (NYSE: MOS) to Neutral from Buy on valuation.

• Stephens downgraded shares of LivePerson Inc (NASDAQ: LPSN) to EqualWeight from Overweight citing execution risk associated with the Kasamba.com acquisition.

• Citigroup cut shares of Sunoco Inc (NYSE: SUN) to Hold from Buy and Tesoro Corp (NYSE: TSO) and Valero Energy Corp (NYSE: VLO) to Sell from Hold based on valuation...

• Bear Stearns cut Ventana Medical Systems (NASDAQ: VMSI) to Peer Perform from Outperform.

• Baird downgraded F5 Networks (NASDAQ: FFIV) to Neutral from Outperform.

• Nuvelo Inc (NASDAQ: NUVO) was cut to Market Perform from Outperform at William Blair.

• Keefe Bruyette downgraded shares of Cowen Group (NASDAQ: COWN) to Market Perform from Outperform.

Analyst downgrades 6-27-07: FFIV, LPSN, SUN, TSO and VLO originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 27 Jun 2007 10:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Vonage Holdings Corp (NYSEL VG) was downgraded to Underperform from Peer Perform at Bear Stearns following the court injunction barring Vonage from using Verizon Communications' (VZ) patented technology.

• Boston Scientific Corp (NYSE: BSX) was cut to Market Perform from Outperform at BMO. Cowen removed Boston Scientific from its Focus List citing superior clinical results from Abbott Laboratories' (ABT) drug-eluting stent, Xience V.

• Deutsche Bank downgraded Sunoco (NYSE: SUN) to Hold from Buy with a $72 target on valuation.

• CV Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CVTX) was downgraded at Deutsche Bank, to Sell from Hold with a $2 target. The downgrade was ahead of the full Ranexa Merlin PIII data to be presented at the American College of Cardiology on Tuesday, March 27th, as the firm believes it will fall short of generating sufficient positive data trends for supporting Ranexa's outlook.

• DaimlerChrysler (NYSE: DCX) was removed from JP Morgan's Focus List as the firm believes the potential divestiture of Chrysler is at least partially priced into shares; JP Morgan maintains an Overweight rating on the stock.

• Morgan Stanley cut Progressive Corp (NYSE: PGR) to Underweight from Equal-Weight.

• William Blair downgraded Kronos Inc (NASDAQ: KRON) to Market Perform from Outperform following the company's acquisition.

• Bank of America downgraded Paxar Corp (NYSE: PXR) to Neutral from Buy on news of Avery Dennison Corp's (AVY) acquisition of the company.

• Deutsche Bank cut Tesoro Corp (NYSE: TSO) to Sell from Hold with an $85 target.

• Goldman Sachs cut Volvo (NASDAQ: VOLV) to Neutral from Buy on valuation.

Analyst downgrades 3-26-07: Boston Scientific & Vonage downgraded today originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 26 Mar 2007 11:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.