Analyst upgrades:

• Baird upgraded Starwood Hotels (NYSE: HOT), Host Hotels (NYSE: HST) and Marriott (NYSE: MAR) to Outperform from Neutral based on valuation and indications that negative sentiment has reached a bottom.
• Citigroup upgraded Torchmark (NYSE: TMK) to Buy from Hold as they find the valuation attractive and think management can grow earnings and book value in 2009/2010. Despite upgrading, the firm lowered their target price to $37 from $45.
• ASM International (NASDAQ: ASMI) was added to Goldman's Conviction Buy List.
• Credit Suisse (NYSE: CS) was raised to Overweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley.
• Live Nation (NYSE: LYV) was upgraded at Natixis to Buy from Hold.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: HOT, GOOG, WPI, LYG ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: HOT, GOOG, WPI, LYG ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 17 Feb 2009 10:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Keefe Bruyette upgraded shares of AllianceBernstein (NYSE: AB) to Outperform from Market Perform as they find AB's risk/reward attractive given its attractive long-term business model. Wachovia upgraded Watson Pharma (NYSE: WPI) and Teva Pharma (NASDAQ: TEVA) to Outperform from Market Perform citing valuations and positive drivers for generics that include patent expirations and market share expansion.
• UBS raised Lloyds TSB Group (NYSE: LYG) to Neutral from Sell on expected pricing power following the HBOS (OTC: HBOOY) acquisition.
• Otter Tail (NASDAQ: OTTR) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Baird.
• GFI Group (NASDAQ: GFIG) was upgraded at Citigroup to Hold from Sell.
• Merrill upgraded Logitech (NASDAQ: LOGI) to Neutral from Underperform.

• JP Morgan downgraded shares of Lloyds TSB Group to Underweight from Neutral on capital concerns and believes the HBOS acquisition is not in the best interest of shareholders.
• Stephens downgraded Universal Truckload (NASDAQ: UACL) to Equal Weight from Overweight on valuation and concerns about a slowdown in the flatbed sector. The firm's target remains $28.

Continue reading Analyst calls: AB, WPI, TEVA, LYG, UACL, NTAP, SIMO, BRCM ...

Analyst calls: AB, WPI, TEVA, LYG, UACL, NTAP, SIMO, BRCM ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 22 Sep 2008 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Veterans' Day holiday.
• Tyson Foods (NYSE: TSN) to report Q4 earnings. They are holding a conference call at 9am and a business update later at 10:45am.

• Wal-Mart Stores (NYSE: WMT) to report Q3 earnings; pre-recorded conference call at 7am.
• Home Depot (NYSE: HD) to report Q3 earnings; conference call at 9am.
• Fed Reserve Governor Randall Kroszner is the Keynote Speaker at Standard & Poor's Banking Conference in New York at 1pm.

• Fed Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is the Keynote Speaker at Cato Institute Annual Monetary Conference at 9:10am.
• Macy's (NYSE: M) to report Q3 earnings; conference call at 10:30am.

• Charles Schwab (NASDAQ: SCHW) to hold business update conference call at 10:30am.
• Nevada District Court: Bayer (NYSE: BAY) vs. Watson Pharmaceuticals (NYSE: WPI) on Patent Infringement Lawsuit over the generic birth control drug YAZ.

• PDUFA date for Bristol Myers Squibb Company's (NYSE: BMY) Abilify.
  
• PDUFA date for Impax Laboratories' (OTC: IPXL) Vadova.

Market highlights for next week: Tyson (TSN), Wal-Mart (WMT) and Home Depot (HD) to report originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 09 Nov 2007 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• ING Group upgraded shares of BT Group (NYSE: BT) to Hold from Sell to reflect the company's more stable revenue trend and improving cash flow generation.
  
• Deutsche Bank upgraded shares of Luminent Mortgage Capital (NYSE: LUM) to Hold from Sell, as they believe the company's portfolio is beginning to stabilize and its liquidity has improved.
  
• Goldman upgraded Cognos Inc (NASDAQ: COGN) to Buy from Neutral following its Q2 report.
  
• Thor Industries (NYSE: THO) was raised to Sector Perform from Underperform at RBC Capital Markets. The firm's checks indicate strengthening backlog and lower promotional spending.
  
• Roth Capital believes Watson Pharmaceuticals (NYSE: WPI) is about to enter a growth phase with Paul Bisaro at the helm and is positive on Silodosin potential. The firm upgraded shares to Buy from Hold.

• Bank of the Ozarks (NASDAQ: OZRK) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at B. Riley.
  
• Bear upgraded Harman International (NYSE: HAR) to Outperform from Market Perform.
  
• Goldman upgraded Packagaing Corporation (NYSE: PKG) and Smurfit-Stone Container (NASDAQ: SSCC) to Buy from Neutral.
  
• Friedman Billings raised Conseco Inc (NYSE: CNO) to Outperform from Market Perform.

Analyst upgrades: BT, LUM, COGN, THO and WPI originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 28 Sep 2007 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Prudential upgraded shares of Newmont Mining Corp (NYSE: NEM) to Neutral from Underweight citing valuation, higher gold and copper prices and specific mine factors that should lead to an operational turnaround.

• Credit Suisse raised shares of Qwest Communications International Inc (NYSE: Q) to Neutral from Underperform as the firm believes management is less likely to engage in a fiber video build and cites the increase in the company's NOL carry-forwards.

• Sirius Satellite Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Barrington Research.

• Raymond James upgraded Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) to Outperform from Market Perform. Morgan Keegan also raised shares to Outperform from Market Perform, citing better-than-projected operating fundamentals and growth prospects.

• American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE: AEO) was upgraded to Strong Buy from Buy at Matrix USA to reflect the company's impressive SSS growth...

• Arris Group, Inc (NASDAQ: ARRS) was upgraded to Sector Performer from Underperformer.

• C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc (NASDAQ: CHRW) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at AG Edwards.

• Merck & Co, Inc (NYSE: MRK) was added to Leerink Swann's Focus List.

• Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc (NYSE: WPI) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at UBS.

• Buffalo Wild Winds (NASDAQ: BWLD) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Morgan Keegan.

Analyst upgrades 5-02-07: CMG, MRK, NEM, Q and SIRI originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 02 May 2007 11:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Overstock.com to report Q4 earnings, conference call at 11am.
• PDUFA date for Watson Pharmaceutical Inc's (NYSE: WPI) Actoplus XR for non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus.

• Nike Inc (NYSE: NKE) to hold Analyst Day at 12pm. Credit Suisse First Boston believes Nike will announce the rollout of a specialty retail store concept at the meeting.

• Equinix (NASDAQ: EQIX) to report Q4 earnings; conference call at 5:30pm. Kaufman Brothers notes that the company's last overhang was removed in the middle of January and it sees a $93 price target on the stock.
• PDUFA Date for Roche Holding's (OTC: RHHBY) Cera for chronic renal disease.

• Monthly sales reports reports due from Abercrombie & Fitch Co (NYSE: ANF), Limited Brands (NYSE: LTD), Nordstrom, Inc (NYSE: JWN) and Wal-Mart Stores Inc (NYSE: WMT).
• Gateway to report Q4 earnings; conference call at 5:30pm.

• Corning Incorporated (NYSE: GLW) to hold Investor Meeting at 9am with presentations from its CEO and CFO.

Market highlights For next week: Nike to hold Analyst Day on Tuesday originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 02 Feb 2007 17:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY: Cisco (CSCO), and Sonic Solutions (SNIC) top today's modest-sized list of initiations.

• Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at UBS following the company's strong first-quarter earnings and guidance.
• JP Morgan upgraded Sonic Solutions (NASDAQ:SNIC) to Overweight from Neutral following the weak second-quarter results and light third-quarter guidance. The firm said weak PC demand ahead of the Vista launch has already been priced into shares of Sonic Solutions.

OTHER UPGRADES:

• Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE:WPI) was reinstated with a Sector Performer rating, up from an Underperformer rating, citing valuation.
• Urban Outfitters, Inc. (NASDAQ:URBN) was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Roth Capital. The firm said expectations for Urban have come down this quarter and that news going forward is likely to be positive, not negative.

Analyst summaries provided by TheFlyOnTheWall.com (subscription required).

Analyst upgrades 11-9-06: UBS upgrades Cisco to Buy originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 09 Nov 2006 10:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.