Barclays upgraded the Integrated Oil sector to Positive from Neutral citing valuations. Note that Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight based on valuation.
After Force Protection (NASDAQ: FRPT) reported that its 1H08 sales increased more than 200%, Stanford thinks that Force Protection could be poised for several new opportunities in 2009 and they believe the company's risk is already priced into the stock; the firm raised Force Protection to Hold from Sell.
Cowen expects eHealth (NASDAQ: EHTH) to benefit from the steady decline in employer-sponsored health insurance offered by small businesses and reduced regulatory risk, among other reasons. The firm upgraded shares to Outperform from Neutral.
Allied Capital (NYSE: ALD) was upgraded to Market Perform from Underperform at BMO Capital.
Caris upgraded Carmike Cinemas (NASDAQ: CKEC) to Above Average from Average.
Goldman upgraded shares of BP Plc (NYSE: BP) to Buy from Neutral on valuation as they believe the recent pullback provides an attractive entry point.
VF Corp. (NYSE: VFC) was raised to Outperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse citing its acquisition platform and international growth. The company's target was increased to $100 from $88.
Deutsche Bank upgraded shares of Tenet Healthcare (NYSE: THC) to Buy from Hold and increased its target to $8.50 from $7 to reflect increased confidence in the company's ability to beat expectations over the next 12 months and reduce its net debt.
US Steel (NYSE: X) was raised to Sector Outperformer from Sector Performer at CIBC.
In this series, we take a look at the 25 stocks on the S&P 500 Index (SPX) that have turned in the worst performance during the past decade -- what went wrong, and what happens next.
Former hippies might notice that the ticker symbol for Tenet Healthcare Corporation (NYSE: THC) is also the acronym for the active compound in marijuana, but this apparent inattention to detail is likely the least of the company's concerns. When Tenet was formed in 1995, it was born out of a merger between American Medical International and scandal-plagued National Medical Enterprises. Executives at the newly reborn healthcare services company hoped that its new name would help erase any unpleasant investor associations with its previous incarnation.
What went wrong? At number 19 on our list of SPX losers, THC shed 73% of its value during the 10-year period ending June 30, 2008. Prior to a stomach-churning sell-off in the fall of 2002, the shares were entrenched in a near-vertical uptrend that peaked at $52.50. It seems that a seedy healthcare services company by any other name ...
October 2002 marked the stock's peak, as well as the beginning of its steep descent. First, the company reported fiscal first-quarter earnings that surpassed analysts' estimates by 2 cents per share. A few weeks later, Tenet was named co-defendant in a lawsuit filed by the widow of a man who'd accepted an artificial heart, which she alleged "stripped him of his human dignity." This relatively minor suit, worth just $100,000, wouldn't break THC -- but it nonetheless heralded the beginning of the end. Toward the end of the month, the shares tumbled sharply after an analyst downgraded Tenet and warned that it was too dependent on Medicare reimbursements from the government.
Dragged down by the challenging market conditions, many stocks have fallen under $10 lately. CNBC's Cindy Perman suggests that some of these stocks could be become good investments for traders. However, not everything that is cheap could be such a good bargain, Perman reminds us. You must always do your homework on potential investment before buying.
For example, Ford Motor (NYSE: F) fell down to around $6 compared with $38 nine years ago -- is it a good investment? Well, while the automaker revealed its plans to shift production from trucks to cars and give a boost to its turnaround plan, it also warned it won't be profitable until 2010 at the earliest.
Perman quotes several investment specialists on the matter. John Schloegel, vice president of investment strategies at Capital Cities Asset Management says, "An investment in Ford today feels like being in the wrong place at the wrong time." And Greg Womack, president of Womack Investment Advisers, advices to stay away from the sector, which doesn't look promising now, for the next three to five years to find out the "winner."
MOST NOTEWORTHY: BP Plc, Tenet Healthcare Franklin Resources were today's noteworthy upgrades:
Lehman upgraded shares of BP Plc (NYSE:BP) to Equal Weight from Underweight on valuation and positive benefits from the company's TNK joint venture in Russia.
Lehman also upgraded Tenet Healthcare (NYSE:THC) to Overweight from Equal Weight, citing increased confidence the company can meet guidance following the company's analyst day.
Keefe Bruyette upgraded shares of Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN) to Outperform from Market Perform as they believe flow trends have improved.
OTHER UPGRADES:
Goldman added Allied Waste (NYSE:AW) to its Conviction Buy List.
MOST NOTEWORTHY: Overseas Shipholding, Tenet Healthcare and Luxottica were today's noteworthy upgrades:
Bear upgraded Overseas Shipholding Group (NYSE: OSG) to Outperform from Peer Perform following its Q4 results, citing seasonal strength.
Tenet Healthcare (NYSE: THC) was upgraded to Hold from Underperform at Jefferies after quarterly operating trends showed signs of stabilization.
Goldman raised Luxottica Group (NYSE: LUX) to Buy from Neutral and added shares to their Conviction Buy List as they find the valuation attractive at current levels.
OTHER UPGRADES:
UBS raised Telefonica (NYSE: TEF) to Buy from Neutral.
The short interest for the NYSE is out for the second half of September. The NYSE Euronext (NYSE: NYX) actually showed a small increase in the total shares short on the NYSE: the September 28 settlement short interest was 11,878,834,897, above the 11,841,051,529 reading of September 14, 2007. This represents 3.1% of the total shares outstanding.
The raw truth is that this is actually a very small gain of only just over 37,000,000 shares. But it follows what was a large drop from mid-August to mid September as mid-August was in the midst of the market malaise with 12,466,511,521 shares listed as being short. Just at the end of last month I had noted that short selling Internet stocks showed mixed results. There had previously been a large drop in major banking stock short interest, but we also showed how housing and retail stocks had been under short selling pressure.
You can see the full list of the September 28 settlement date short stocks at the site, but here are the top 10 (with short interest):
MOST NOTEWORTHY: Celgene (CELG), Sysco (SYY), Kinetic Concepts (KCI), BioMimtic Therapeutics (BMTI) and Lifecell Corp (LIFC) were today's noteworthy initiations:
William Blair believes Celgene (NASDAQ: CELG) has the best growth profile in large-cap biotechnology and initiated shares with an Outperform rating.
Citigroup views Sysco (NYSE: SYY) as the dominant leader in the foodservice distribution industry, initiating shares with a Buy rating, and feels the company will continue to take market share from its peers. The firm thinks the current valuation reflects the perception that Sysco may perform poorly in the near-term, which they disagree with.
Wachovia started Kinetic Concepts (NYSE: KCI) with a Market Perform, citing competitive pressures and mature markets for its rating.
Wachovia is positive on BioMimetic Therapeutics (NASDAQ: BMTI), initiating shares with an Outperform, based on strong rhPDGF technology, strategy, and management team.
Wachovia is positive on Lifecell Corp's (NASDAQ: LIFC) Strattice, a porcine tissue matrix, which improves the company's international exposure and provides opportunities in new markets, initiating shares with an Outperform...
MOST NOTEWORTHY: Amazon.com (AMZN), Luminent Mortgage (LUM), Whole Foods (WFMI), Tenet Healthcare (THC) and Pediatrix Medical (PDX) were today's noteworthy upgrades:
Bernstein upgraded Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) to Outperform from Market Perform, citing margins on 3rd party transactions that are close to eBay's (EBAY) and that the overseas merchants initiative will increase 3rd party units to 25% of sales. The move is expected to increase operating margins to 6.2% by 2011, above the previously expected improvement of 4.6% by the same time.
JMP Securities said Luminent Mortgage's (NYSE: LUM) $64.9M emergency financing from Arco Capital may preserve some value for shareholders, and upgraded shares to Market Underperform from Sell.
JP Morgan added Whole Foods (NASDAQ: WFMI) to its Focus List, and expects the Wild Oats (NASDAQ: OATS) acquisition to be a catalyst for shares.
MOST NOTEWORTHY: Cisco Systems (CSCO), Finisar Corp (FNSR), Tenet Healthcare (THC), Best Buy (BBY) and Cascade Corp (CAE) were today's noteworthy upgrades:
Bear Stearns upgraded shares of Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) to Outperform from Peer Perform, with a $36 target, after the quarterly results as they believe revenue growth is sustainable and diversified. Bear expects Cisco to benefit from significant new product cycles over the next two years and believes investments in emerging markets are beginning to pay off.
Merriman upgraded Finisar (NASDAQ: FNSR) to Buy from Neutral to reflect the improved outlook at their top customer, Cisco.
Tenet Healthcare (NYSE: THC) was upgraded to Hold from Sell at Stifel, as the firm expects shares to remain range bound.
Pali Capital raised shares of Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) to Buy from Neutral with a $55 target on valuation as they believe the bad news is already priced in.
Cascade (NYSE: CAE) was upgraded to Market Perform from Underperform at Rodman & Renshaw on valuation.
OTHER UPGRADES:
Warner Music (NYSE: WMG) was upgraded to Buy from Sell with a $13 target at Citigroup.
Citigroup also upgraded shares of Copa Holdings (NYSE: CPA) to Buy from Hold with a $71 target.
Baird upgraded shares of Parkway Properties (NYSE: PKY) to Outperform from Neutral on valuation.
Computer Sciences (NYSE: CSC) was raised to Hold from Underperform at Jefferies on valuation and improvement in bookings.
Morgan Stanley upgraded ABB Ltd (NYSE: ABB) to Overweight from Equal Weight.
Auxilium Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: AUXL) was initiated with an Outperform rating at Cowen, which said AUXL's lead candidate, AA4500, is in pivotal testing for Dupuytren's contracture, which could be a $400M+ revenue opportunity.
BioSante Pharmaceuticals (AMEX: BPA) was initiated with a Positive rating at Susquehanna, as the firm is positive on BPA's growth prospects for the transdermal estrogen market, upside potential from the female dysfunction market, and valuation.
OTHER INITIATIONS:
Morgan Stanley initiated shares of Lamar Advertising (NASDAQ: LAMR) with an Overweight rating and $77 target.
SunTrust Robinson Humphrey initiated shares of Texas Roadhouse (NASDAQ: TXRH) with a Neutral rating.
Morgan Joseph initiated shares of Metalico (AMEX: MEA) with a Hold rating.
Stifel Nicolaus initiated shares of Tenet Healthcare (NYSE: THC) with a Sell rating and a $5 target.
MOST NOTEWORTHY: Tenet Healthcare Corp (THC), Furniture Brands International, Inc (FBN), Sepracor Inc (SEPR), ValueClick, Inc (VCLK) and Altria Group, Inc (MO) were today's noteworthy downgrades:
Bear Stearns downgraded shares of Tenet Healthcare (NYSE: THC) to Underperform from Peer Peform citing difficulties in California and weak margins.
Stifel downgraded Furniture Brands (NYSE: FBN) to Sell from Hold citing concerns regarding continued weakness in the housing industry.
Summer Street downgraded Sepracor (NASDAQ: SEPR) to Sell from Neutral after the HCPCS website indicated Xopenex and Albuterol will have the same code as of July 1.The firm believes this eliminates the optimistic scenarios that Sepracor can garner a minimal-or-no-reimbursement cut.
RBC downgraded shares of ValueClick (NASDAQ: VCLK) to Underperform from Sector Perform as the firm believes the FTC letter poses a risk to earnings and that the company is unlikely to be acquired.
Matrix downgraded Altria Group (NYSE: MO) to Buy from Strong Buy to reflect decreasing cigarette sales and increasing valuation...
OTHER DOWNGRADES:
American Technology cut Autodesk, Inc (NASDAQ: ADSK) to Neutral from Buy.
Matrix downgraded Fluor Corp (NYSE: FLR) to Sell from Buy.
MOST NOTEWORTHY: Marvel Entertainment, Inc (MVL), Electronic Arts Inc (ERTS), ION Media Networks Inc (ION), Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc (MDRX) and Tenet Healthcare Corp (THC) were today's noteworthy downgrades:
JP Morgan downgraded Marvel Entertainment (NYSE: MVL) to Neutral from Overweight based on the lack of near-term catalysts.
Gabelli downgraded Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) to Hold from Buy on reduced 2008 expectations. The firm expects Electronic to lose market share given the lack of Q1 product launches.
CRT downgraded ION Media Networks (AMEX: ION) to Sell from Buy and recommends taking profits at these levels as shares are approaching Citadel LP's offer of $1.46 per share.
.gif){kind=logo}
Analyst upgrades:
.gif){kind=logo}
In 
Dragged down by the challenging market conditions, .gif){kind=logo}
.gif){kind=logo}
.gif){kind=logo}
Best & Worst in Money 2008: Most shocking financial collapse
Closing Bell: Stocks slump as AMD, AT&T, GM and Merck decline
Global Q&A: A rocky road, but profits ahead
