Posts related to ‘Healthcare’

Top 10 Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades, Initiations (ABC, ASML, CAH, CVS, ESRX, INTC, MRVL, MHS, SOLF, TXN)

These are this Thursday’s top ten analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen in Wall Street research calls:

AmerisourceBergen (NYSE: ABC) Started as Buy at UBS.
ASML (NASDAQ: ASML) Cut to Neutral at B of A Merrill Lynch.
Cardinal Health (NYSE: CAH) Started as Buy at UBS.
CVS Caremark (NYSE: CVS) Started as Buy at UBS.
Express Scripts (NASDAQ: ESRX) Started as Buy at UBS.
Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) Cut to Neutral at B of A Merrill Lynch.
Marvell Technology Group (NASDAQ: MRVL) Cut to Neutral at B of A Merrill Lynch.
MedcoHealth Solutions Inc. (NYSE: MHS) Started as Buy at UBS.
Solarfun (NASDAQ: SOLF) Raised to Outperform at Oppenheimer.
Texas Instruments Inc. (NYSE: TXN) Cut to Neutral at B of A Merrill Lynch.

You can join our open email distribution list to hear more news on key analyst calls, top day trader alerts, mergers and acquisitions, Buffett and other investment gurus, IPOs, secondary offerings, private equity, and more.

JON C. OGG

Posted on: November 19, 2009 – 8:12 am in Analyst Calls, Healthcare, Pre-Market Activity, Technology Companies, Trading Alert, , , , , , , , , ,

Major Rumor: CBO Says Senate Healthcare To Cost $849 Billion

At this point it is simply a rumor, but The Wall Street Journal reports that : “Senate Democrats’ health-care legislation has been estimated to cost $849 billion and to reduce the federal budget deficit by $127 billion over 10 years.”

The figures are supposed to be from The Congressional Budget Office, but are not posted on its website. WSJ sources also say that the number of uninsured people in the US will drop by 31 million under the Senate plan and that 94% of Americans would have health insurance coverage.

Douglas A. McIntyre

Posted on: November 18, 2009 – 6:07 pm in Healthcare

Bristol-Myers Cleans Up on Mead Johnson (BMY, MJN)

Money ImageBristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) is going to completely separate itself from its holdings in Mead Johnson Nutrition Company (NYSE: MJN).  The company expects that the split-off will be a tax-advantaged way to divest these holdings and is expected to be net cash flow positive to the BioPharma business and is expected to be accretive to earnings per share beginning in 2010.  Mead Johnson has had one unbelievable year.  This came public in February and traded as low as $25.72 after the IPO.  Shares closed at $45.25 on Friday.
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Posted on: November 16, 2009 – 9:29 am in Drug companies, Healthcare, IPOs, Mergers and Buy Outs, ,

52-Week High Club

CareFusion Corp. (NYSE: CFN)  rose over 6% to a yearly hight of $24.34  after reporting first quarter earnings of 39 cents per share, beating analyst estimates.  The company also increased its earnings forecast for next year.

Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA) rose close to 4% to a yearly high of $31.63, continuing its rise following its earnings release.  The company posted a 15% increase in profits, to 76 cents per share.

Garrett W. McIntyre

Posted on: November 5, 2009 – 4:22 pm in Earnings, Healthcare, Media, ,

The Unusual Suspects (BEAT, CIT, CIT-PZ, GNW, GFIG, HGSI, GSK, MCO, BRK-A, RVSN, CSCO)

bull-and-bear-image2Earnings season is seeming to wind down here, but that won’t stop the unusual suspects of key equity events and issues to watch this coming week.  We are looking into key issues for the coming week in the stocks of CardioNet, Inc. (NASDAQ:BEAT), CIT Group, Inc. (NYSE: CIT), Genworth Financial Inc. (NYSE:  class=GNW), GFI Group Inc. (NASDAQ: GFIG), Human Genome Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ: HGSI), GlaxoSmithKline Plc (NYSE: GSK), Moody’s Corp. (NYSE: MCO), Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-A), RADVISION Ltd. (NASDAQ: RVSN) and Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO).
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Posted on: November 1, 2009 – 11:33 am in After-Hours Activity, Biotech, Buffett, Calendar, Earnings, Financial Stocks, Healthcare, Mergers and Buy Outs, Rumors, , , , , , , , , , ,

Two IPOs On Deck (ADUS, VSI, BX)

Money ImageWe have two initial public offerings today.  We have a poor pricing from Addus HomeCare Corporation (NASDAQ: ADUS) and a solid pricing from a Blackstone interest in the Vitamin Shoppe Inc. (NYSE: VSI) IPO.

Addus HomeCare Corporation (NASDAQ: ADUS) is joining the realm of disappointing initial public offerings.  The home-based medical and social service company, which would seem to be a big growth segment ahead, priced its 5 million share IPO at $10.00 per share.  This is below the $11.00 to $12.00 range. Robert W. Baird and Oppenheimer & Co. were joint book-running managers, and Stephens Inc. was listed as the co-manager.

Vitamin Shoppe Inc. (NYSE: VSI) actually looks like it broke the poor IPO trend.  This company, which sells vitamins and supplements priced its 9.096 million share IPO at $17.00.  This one is ABOVE the $14.00 to $16.00 per share range in an IPO being brought public by J.P. Morgan, BofA Merrill Lynch, and Barclays.  The Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX) is a holder of this company.

You can join our open email distribution list to get updates on top analyst upgrades and downgrades, top day trader alerts, IPO’s, secondary offerings, Warren Buffett and other guru activity, M&A and more.

JON C. OGG

Posted on: October 28, 2009 – 8:16 am in Healthcare, IPOs, Retail, , ,

52-Week High Club

Pier 1 Imports Inc. (NYSE: PIR) rallied over 11% to a yearly high of $5.01 after Dow Jones reported that the company had entered into an agreement to sell its St. Charles Ill. distribution center $11 million.

ResMed Inc. (NYSE: RMD) hit a yearly high of $47.90 after analysts at Credit Suisse upgraded the stock.

Bitstream Inc. (NASDAQ: BITS) hit a yearly high of $6.05 after the company announced that K-Touch Mobile Indonesia, a mobile phone maker, had licensed Bitstream’s mobile we brower for distribution.

Pacific Sunwear of California Inc. (NASDAQ: PSUN) rallied over 6% to a yearly high of %6.62 after FBR Capital upgraded the apparel stores industry. 

Sinclair Broadcast Group (NASDAQ: SBGI) rallied over 12% to a yearly high of $4.22 after the company’s subsidiary, Sinclair Television Group, intends to offer roughl $430.00 million in debt which will be used to pas for its cash tenders for its 3% senior covertible notes due in 2027 and 4.875% senior convertable notes due in 2018.

Garrett W. McIntyre

Posted on: October 13, 2009 – 4:33 pm in Healthcare, Old Media, Retail, Technology Companies, Telecom, , , , ,

Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) Medicine Is The Solution To The Health Care Crisis

WMTAmericans have known that we have had a health care crisis since our country was created.  We have chosen to depend on doctors and nurses and hospitals to provide care in times of illness and injury and epidemics.  At some point we developed health insurance to provide some financial coverage so that people would not have to pay for the entire cost of their medical care.  This was the time that health care inequality became more commonplace.  Before health insurance existed, the very rich had the best care that money could offer and the rest depended on whatever urban and rural health care systems could provide. Read More »

Posted on: October 4, 2009 – 6:06 pm in Healthcare,

Is Sequenom Dead? (SQNM)

Sequenom Inc. (NASDAQ: SQNM) is becoming a case study on how to run a medical testing products company into the ground.  The diagnostic test maker has more problems other than just the announcement that it fired CEO Harry Stylli and several others after an investigation into the results for its Down syndrome blood test.  This was supposed to be the Holy Grail for Down testing, and we still lack a full understanding of what happened.

Board member Harry Hixson will fill in as Sequenom’s interim CEO, and board member Ronald Lindsay will take over as interim CFO and controller.  Elizabeth Dragon was senior vice president for research and development, but she is out as well and you have to ask yourself how great a company without a head of R&D can be. Three other employees were fired, and Paul Hawran “resigned” on Friday with another executive. Sure he resigned.
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Posted on: September 30, 2009 – 5:32 am in Biotech, Healthcare, Law, Management Change, Medical, SEC

Buffett Visits Planet of Women (BRK-A, KFT, CBY, WLP, UNH)

Buffett ImageCNBC’s Becky Quick interviewed Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-A) at a very unusual venue this morning…. Fortune’s Most Powerful Womenconference.  The mainstay part of the discussion was the ‘one-year later after” that we have seen so much this week.  The issue for the public is that Buffett is still leaning toward improvement after having been so negative just in early summer.  More importantly for investors, he opined on the Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE: KFT) and Cadbury plc (NYSE: CBY) deal and partly on healthcare or health insurance in the sale of WellPoint Inc. (NYSE: WLP) and UnitedHealth Group, Inc. (NYSE: UNH).
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Posted on: September 16, 2009 – 10:02 am in Buffett, Economy, Editor's Picks, Healthcare, Housing, Mergers and Buy Outs, , , , ,

Still No Death Blow for Insurers (AET, HUM, UNH)

Bull and Bear ImageThe Obama speech to a joint session of Congress last night did not exactly deliver the death blow to health insurers.  It also did not give the insurers the keys to the palace.  Despite the call for an exchange and the notion of a public option still being included, there was a backdoor left open for this to be in regional markets where there is limited competition.  There are other potential workarounds that need to be met, and the real wild card is going to be over new entrants in pre-existing conditions.  So far we are seeing a positive move in top health insurers like Aetna Inc. (NYSE: AET), Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM), and UnitedHealth Group, Inc. (NYSE: UNH).
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Posted on: September 10, 2009 – 10:31 am in Healthcare, Medical, Politics, , ,

Brand Image: Did Mackey Really Hurt Whole Foods? (WFMI)

Whole Foods ImageWhole Foods Market, Inc. (NASDAQ: WFMI) has been under fire of late from outside groups, although this time it is not over the founder’s secret web posting, not over a merger and antitrust issues, and not over high prices leading to name ‘Whole Paycheck.”  It is almost daily now that one group or another is attacking CEO and founder John Mackey over his editorial opposing President Obama’s healthcare reform.

This morning’s release came from CtW Investment Group calling for Mackey’s removal because of the risks to the brand and over Mackey’s history of personal discipline.  The CtW Investment Group works with pension funds sponsored by unions affiliated with Change to Win, a federation of unions representing nearly 6 million members, to enhance long-term shareholder returns through active ownership. The group noted that ‘these funds are substantial long term Whole Foods shareholders.’
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Posted on: August 25, 2009 – 11:24 am in Activist Investor, Food, Healthcare, Management Change, Regulation, Retail,

The Coming Swine Flu Recession

bearThere was a lot of analysis that went on when the early cases of swine flu were reported from Mexico. The WHO began to talk about a pandemic which raised the specter of the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic which killed close to 100 million people. Historians estimate that the disease infected one out of three people across the world. Economists began to look at the WHO description of the new strain and talk about the hundreds of billions of dollars in global GDP that would be lost when the flu slowed world trade and put unimaginable portions of the world’s work force into hospitals and sick beds. The costs of treating all of the ill people were also expected to be in the billions of dollars as would be the costs borne by health and life insurance companies. Read More »

Posted on: August 24, 2009 – 5:14 am in Economy, Editor's Picks, Healthcare

Emdeon IPO: Healthcare Reform Beneficiary (EM)

money-stack-imageEmdeon Inc. (NYSE: EM) is today’s ‘other’ initial public offering.  The company priced 23,700,000 shares of its common stock at a price of $15.50 per share. Not all proceeds are going back into the company: 10,725,000 shares were offered by Emdeon itself and 12,975,000 were offered by selling stockholders.  This is essentially nothing short of a health care reform play which saw a boost in shares and a top-end of the range pricing.
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Posted on: August 12, 2009 – 9:56 am in Healthcare, IPOs, Medical,

The War On Diabetes Heats Up (NVO, AMLN, LLY, MNKD, PFE, VVUS, BMY, AZN, ARNA, GERN, STEM, OREX, GNBT, SPEX, ORMP, HDIX, PODD)

Biotech ImageDiabetes is becoming an epidemic in the U.S. and the Western World.  The ties to obesity are often direct, so the potential treatments are often directly tied as well.  We did a recent dig down for the next $170 billion opportunity for eight different major diseases and conditions, and now we have conducted a much deeper dig down specifically in the field of diabetes over at BioHealthInvestor.com.  We have recent and upcoming FDA action and data being presented from Novo Nordisk (NYSE: NVO), MannKind Corp. (NASDAQ: MNKD), Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMLN), Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY), Alkermes Inc. (NASDAQ: ALKS), Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) and AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN).  There is a mini-race going on between some of the later stage studies from obesity and diabetes candidates from Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARNA), VIVUS, inc. (NASDAQ: VVUS), Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: OREX) and Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: AMLN).  Geron Corporation (NASDAQ: GERN) and StemCells Inc. (NASDAQ: STEM) were noted as two of the stem cell hopes, although stem cells may later rather than sooner.

Generex Biotechnology Corporation (NASDAQ: GNBT), Spherix Incorporated (NASDAQ: SPEX) and Oramed Pharmaceuticals Inc. (OTCBB: ORMP) were all noted in the much smaller or emerging plays.  Home Diagnostics, Inc. (NASDAQ:HDIX) and Insulet Corporation (NASDAQ: PODD) have both recently had key events as the interest in test equipment companies continues to remain high.

FULL STORY with much more detail at BioHealthInvestor.com.

Posted on: August 10, 2009 – 10:56 am in Biotech, Drug companies, FDA, Healthcare, Medical, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Health care And The Rising Rate Of Dementia

tobaccoThe population is aging and along with it the number of people with dementia and Alzheimer’s is likely to rise rapidly. Demented seniors and Alzheimer’s victims can live for years which creates a tremendous burden on the health care system and the families of the patients. These are the kind of diseases that are likely, as the number of people with them increase, to keep upward pressure on medical costs. Read More »

Posted on: August 6, 2009 – 5:01 am in Editor's Picks, Healthcare, Politics

Unemployment USA: Moving America To North Dakota

uncle samMillions of out of work Americans may wish that they lived in North Dakota, no matter how harsh the winters can be. The state had an unemployment rate of only 4.2% compared with the 9.5% national figure. It is easy to dismiss the North Dakota job success as a by-product of the state’s low population, but unemployment in Rhode Island is 12.4% and in Oregon it’s 12.2%. Michigan and California do not have a monopoly on hard times. Read More »

Posted on: August 6, 2009 – 4:49 am in Economy, Editor's Picks, Healthcare

HCP Boosts Cash Raise (HCP)

Money Stack ImageHCP, Inc. (NYSE: HCP) is raising more cash than expected.  The company has priced a secondary offering of 15.5 million shares of common stock at a price per share of $24.75, above the 11.5 million shares originally indicated in the offering.  The release says the increased size was due to investor demand.
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Posted on: August 5, 2009 – 9:29 am in Healthcare, REIT, Secondary Offering,

24/7 Wall St. TV: Funding Healthcare, Taxing The Obese

24/7 WallSt TVThe Administration and Congress are looking for ways to close the funding gap for the $1 trillion national health care overhaul.

The hospital industry has already agreed to $155 billion in concessions and pharma companies have come through with $80 billion. That still leaves a substantial shortage. Read More »

Posted on: July 27, 2009 – 10:31 am in Editor's Picks, Healthcare, TV

Apple (APPL) And Caterpillar (CAT): Someone, Somewhere, Somehow, Is Spending Money

appleApple’s beat Wall St. consensus figures by posting earnings per share of $1.35 compared to Wall St. expectations of $1.17. The company also produced revenue of $8.33 billion, up 12% from last year. The recession must be over.

Apple’s figures are a conundrum. The firm sold 5.2 million iPhones in the quarter ending in June. A lot of people are using unemployment benefits to buy the handsets, or people who are supposed to be saving money and not spending it, according to the government, are running up the balances on their credit cards as if the economic downturn never happened. Read More »

Posted on: July 22, 2009 – 3:50 am in Banking, Consumer Electronics, Drug companies, Earnings, Editor's Picks, Food, Healthcare, PC Companies, Pharmaceuticals, Wireless, , , , ,