Continue reading Nike Second Quarter Earnings Preview

Nike Second Quarter Earnings Preview originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Mosaic Company (MOS) is slated to take its turn on the earnings stage after Monday's closing bell, with the agricultural chemical concern set to unveil its fiscal first-quarter results.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are anticipating a profit of 72 cents per share, substantially higher than the company's year-ago earnings of 23 cents per share. Mosaic has a dismal history in the earnings spotlight, having fallen short of Wall Street's consensus profit expectations in three of the past four quarters.

Continue reading Can Mosaic Co. Tackle Resistance After Q1 Earnings?

Can Mosaic Co. Tackle Resistance After Q1 Earnings? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I was scanning through stocks that made substantial pre-market moves to bring to your attention and I found just that in Micron Technology (MU).

The tech firm was more than 3% lower before the bell thanks to a downgrade from Goldman Sachs. The brokerage cut MU to neutral from buy. Goldman noted that it "underestimated the impact tablets would have on the PC supply chain, with tablets cannibalizing notebooks faster and to a greater degree than we [the brokerage] had expected." Goldman Sachs also stated that MU was negatively impacted by Inotera's delay of its 50mm transition.

Continue reading Goldman Sachs Downgrades Micron Technology

Goldman Sachs Downgrades Micron Technology originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 15 Sep 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Citigroup Upgrades Royal Bank of Scotland, Downgrades Barclays

Citigroup Upgrades Royal Bank of Scotland, Downgrades Barclays originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 10 Sep 2010 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Chesapeake Energy (CHK) Monday morning was upgraded to outperform from market perform at BMO Capital. The brokerage house cited valuation as the reason for the upgrade, stating that the shares are "attractively priced at three times next year's expected discretionary cash flow compared to a median multiple of around five times at the group's larger peers," according to MarketWatch.

BMO also feels CHK's use of joint ventures to raise cash and finance capital expenditure could lead to higher cash flow yields and returns on capital, MarketWatch reported. Along with the upgrade, the ratings house assigned a price target of $30 per share for CHK.

Continue reading BMO Capital Upgrades Chesapeake Energy

BMO Capital Upgrades Chesapeake Energy originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Citigroup Outlook Raised, but J.P. Morgan Preferred

Citigroup Outlook Raised, but J.P. Morgan Preferred originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 19 Jul 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Boeing Upgraded to Buy at Citigroup

Boeing Upgraded to Buy at Citigroup originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 15 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Friday morning, UBS issued an upgrade to Costco Wholesale (COST), elevating the warehouse retailer to buy from neutral.

The upgrade was made based on valuation, as UBS feels that recent weakness in the stock price offers a good entry point. In fact, UBS notes that Costco has "one of the world's best retail business models." The brokerage noted that removing calendar shifts and gas sales from Costco's comparable sales figures shows an "improving trend in all categories and in all U.S. regions."

Continue reading Despite Upgrade, Costco Faces Resistance

Despite Upgrade, Costco Faces Resistance originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 09 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Bellwether Upgrades Show Signs of Hope

Bellwether Upgrades Show Signs of Hope originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 21 May 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Solar provider LDK Solar (LDK) rallied a bit in pre-open and early trading thanks to an upgrade from Bank of America/Merrill Lynch. The brokerage elevated LDK to buy from underperform, which is a two-level upgrade. The ratings house based its upgrade on the fact that it sees lower risks of oversupply.

Technically, LDK may need a bit more than this rally to help it finally break through overhead resistance. The stock is trading in the $6 region thanks to the upgrade, but it needs far more momentum. The shares face double-barreled resistance from their 10- and 20-week moving averages. These trendlines are descending through the upper reaches of the $6 region, and are quickly falling toward LDK's current position.

Continue reading LDK Solar Upgraded by Bank of America/Merrill Lynch

LDK Solar Upgraded by Bank of America/Merrill Lynch originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 18 May 2010 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades

• Deutsche Bank upgraded Sonoco Products (SON) to buy from hold after the company reported Q1 results and raised guidance. The firm upped its target for shares to $38 from $32.
• Baird upgraded Western Digital (WDC) to outperform from neutral following the solid Q3 report and guidance. The firm raised its target to $50 from $48.
• Goldman upgraded Qwest (Q) to neutral from sell. Qwest is being acquired by CenturyLink (CTL).
• Hershey (HSY) was upgraded to neutral from underweight at JPMorgan.
• Principal Financial (PFG) was upgraded to neutral from sell at UBS.
• Monster Worldwide (MWW) was upgraded to market perform from underperform at Wells Fargo.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: WDC, Q, HSY, BWLD, NOK, COP, KFT, VZ ...

Analyst Calls: WDC, Q, HSY, BWLD, NOK, COP, KFT, VZ ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 23 Apr 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Tuesday morning, Tudor Pickering Holt decided to upgrade Devon Energy (DVN) to accumulate, noting that the company is a "cash-rich company with solid-but not-outstanding assets that trades at a discount." The brokerage house believes that Devon will issue a $3 billion share buyback program, leading to the upgrade.

The company is the largest producer and largest lease holder in the Barnett Shale area of North Texas, and has exploration and production assets in North Texas, Oklahoma, Wyoming, and western Canada. The company's impressive success rate and substantial assets suggest that the company will continue to perform well.

Continue reading Devon Energy Raised to Accumulate by Tudor Pickering Holt

Devon Energy Raised to Accumulate by Tudor Pickering Holt originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 20 Apr 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Starbucks (SBUX) is set to have a good morning, as the company received an upgrade from UBS to buy from neutral. The brokerage also upped its earnings forecast for Starbucks to $1.14 per share in fiscal 2010, up from $1.09 per share. For 2011, UBS expects Starbucks to pull in $1.34 per share, seven cents better than the brokerage's earlier forecast. UBS believes that benign costs and Starbucks' ongoing productivity programs are key to the company's success. That said, UBS feels that McDonald's (MCD) foray into the world of frappes and smoothies could "cannibalize frappuccino consumers from Starbucks." Such a move could hurt Starbucks' bottom line.

Continue reading Starbucks Receives an Upgrade

Starbucks Receives an Upgrade originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 16 Mar 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading McDonalds Fourth Quarter Earnings Preview

McDonalds Fourth Quarter Earnings Preview originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading With NBC in Shambles, Jefferies Upgrades CBS

With NBC in Shambles, Jefferies Upgrades CBS originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Target downgraded by UBS

Target downgraded by UBS originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Moody's ratings are coming under fire

Moody's ratings are coming under fire originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 23 Sep 2009 09:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading UBS upgrades eBay to Buy

UBS upgrades eBay to Buy originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• FBR Capital upgraded Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE: APC) to Outperform from Market Perform to reflect upcoming catalysts and the company's opportunity in subsalt. FBR raised its target on shares to $60 from $50.
• Citigroup upgraded Marvel (NYSE: MVL) to Hold from Sell on expectations the acquisition by Disney (NYSE: DIS) will close. The firm raised its target on shares to $50 from $31.
• JPMorgan upgraded Cubic (NYSE: CUB) to Overweight from Neutral on expectations the company will benefit from the Vix ERG acquisition and increased sales visibility. The firm raised its target on shares to $43 from $38.
• Siemens (NYSE: SI) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Bernstein.
• Deutsche Telekom (NYSE: DT) was upgraded to Neutral from Underperform at Credit Suisse.
• Thompson Creek (NYSE: TC) was upgraded to Sector Outperformer from Sector Performer at CIBC.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AAPL, APC, CAB, DE, HOV, MVL ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: AAPL, APC, CAB, DE, HOV, MVL ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 03 Sep 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Citigroup upgraded Cooper Industries (NYSE: CBE) to Buy from Hold on valuation as it believes commercial construction concerns are well known. The firm raised its target on shares to $40 from $37, and coupled the upgrade with a downgrade of Rockwell Automation (NYSE: ROK) to Sell from Hold.
• Credit Suisse upgraded BJ Services (NYSE: BJS) to Neutral from Underperform following its acquisition by Baker Hughes (NYSE: BHI). The firm raised its target to $17.
• Credit Suisse also upgraded Amkor Technology (NASDAQ: AMKR) to Outperform from Neutral and raised its target to $8 from $7. The firm expects Amkor to benefit from near-term strength in the supply chain and the mix shift towards higher value packaging.
• Textron (NYSE: TXT) was upgraded to Conviction Buy from Neutral at Goldman.
• Siemens (NYSE: SI) was upgraded to Neutral from Sell at UBS.
• Stanley Works (NYSE: SWK) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Janney Montgomery.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ANF, BJS, CBE, GENZ, ROK, SI ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: ANF, BJS, CBE, GENZ, ROK, SI ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.