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Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (ALXN, AAPL, ADP, COCO, EBAY, FFIV, INTC, NAV, ZNGA)

Administrator — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 12:44:41 +0000

These are some of the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations seen in Wall Street research calls this Thursday.

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALXN) Raised to Outperform as Bull of the Day at Zacks.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) Reiterated Buy and Raised target to $740 at Canaccord Genuity.

Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADP) Reiterated Outperform with $65 target at Credit Suisse.

Corinthian Colleges Inc. (NASDAQ: COCO) Raised to Equal-weight at Barclays.

eBay Inc, (NASDAQ: EBAY) Raised to Buy at Benchmark; Raised to Overweight at Piper Jaffray; maintained as Hold at Canaccord Genuity.

F5 Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV) Raised to Buy at Wunderlich.

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) Reiterated Buy with $34 target at Argus.

Navistar International Corporation (NYSE: NAV) Cut to Market Perform at Wells Fargo.

Zynga, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZNGA) Raised to Hold at Needham.

If you enjoyed the top analyst upgrades and downgrades, you can join our free email newsletter that includes analyst summaries each morning sent right to your inbox. We also cover top issues such as IPOs, special financial exclusives, mergers and more. Sign up in the box below.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: AAPL, ADP,, ALXN, COCO, EBAY, FFIV, INTC, NAV, ZNGA

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (GAS, ALU, AMT, APC, ADP, CVX, CCI, GE, GPC, HMA, JNPR, VOD, ZAGG)

Administrator — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 12:16:34 +0000

These are some of this Wednesday’s top analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen in Wall Street research calls.

AGL Resources, Inc. (NYSE: GAS) named as Bear of the Day at Zacks.

Alcatel-Lucent SA (NYSE: ALU) Raised to Outperform at BMO.

America Tower Corporation (NYSE: AMT) Raised to Overweight at JPMorgan.

Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: APC) Raised to Buy at Stifel Nicolaus.

Automatic Data Processing Inc. (NASDAQ: ADP) Maintained Buy with $60 target at Argus.

Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) Maintained Outperform but lowered estimates at Credit Suisse.

Crown Castle International (NYSE: CCI) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.

General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) Maintained Outperform at Credit Suisse.

Genuine Parts Co. (NYSE: GPC) named Bull of the Day at Zacks.

Health Management Associates Inc. (NYSE: HMA) Maintained Hold but cut estimates at Argus.

Juniper Networks Inc, (NYSE: JNPR) Cut to Market Perform at BMO.

Vodafone Group PLC (NYSE: VOD) Cut to Underperform at BNP Paribas.

ZAGG Inc. (NASDAQ: ZAGG) named value stock of the day at Zacks.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Analyst Calls Tagged: ADP,, ALU, AMT, APC, CCI, CVX, gas, GE, GPC, HMA, JNPR, VOD, ZAGG

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (AAPL, ADP, KFT, PG, MCO, LULU, ADGF, CHTP, AEO, BWS, CSIQ, CTIC, HOV, TRCR, MAG, BONT, P, VRML)

Paul Ausick — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 21:10:13 +0000

US stocks opened higher this morning following an in-line report from ADP on US employment gains. There was little economic news out today, but we can anticipate tomorrow’s report on new jobless claims and, of course, the biggie, Friday’s report on non-farm payrolls. By mid-morning stocks were solidly higher and have been trading more than half a point pretty consistently. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) pretty well shut down the afternoon news with its new iPad announcement (more coverage here). The dollar was weaker this morning and has fluctuated somewhat on the downside all day, trading down -0.12% now at 79.715. Crude oil has been higher on the weaker greenback, with WTI closing up 1.4% at $106.16/barrel and Brent crude up 1.99% at $124.41/barrel. Gold rose 0.7% today, settling at $1,683.90/ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up nearly 79 points to 12,837.78 (0.62%), the NASDAQ rose more than 25 points (0.87%) to 2,935.69, and the S&P 500 rose 0.69% or more than 9 points to 1,352.63.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Automatic Data Processing Inc. (NYSE: ADP) raised to ‘Focus List’ at Credit Suisse; Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE: KFT) cut to ‘hold’ at Jefferies; Proctor & Gamble (NYSE: PG) raised to ‘overweight’ at JPMorgan; Moody’s Corp. (NYSE: MCO) cut to ‘neutral at UBS; and Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ: LULU) raised to ‘outperform’ at Credit Suisse.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: Adams Golf Inc. (NASDAQ: ADGF) is up 1.7% at $9.60; Chelsea Therapeutics International Inc. (NASDAQ: CHTP) is up 2.3% at $3.57; American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (NYSE: AEO) is up 6.1% at $15.52; Brown Shoe Co. Inc. (NYSE: BWS) is down -9.3% at $9.46; Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSIQ) is down -12.8% at $2.86; Cell Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: CTIC) is up 0.80% at $1.26; and Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. (NYSE: HOV) is up 3.3% at $2.48.

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

Transcend Services Inc. (NASDAQ: TRCR) is up more than 39% at $29.24. The medical transcription service is being acquired by Nuance Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: NUAN) for $300 million in net cash ($29.50/share). More coverage here.

Magnetek Inc. (NASDAQ: MAG) is up 22% at $17.50. The electrical equipment maker posted a robust quarterly earnings report today.

The Bon Ton Stores Inc. (NASDAQ: BONT) is up more than 32% at $6.95. The retailer reported lower-than-expected earnings and revenues, but its forecast is above expectations.

Pandora Media Inc. (NYSE: P) is down more than -24% at $10.83. The Internet radio company posted worse than expected earnings last night. More coverage here.

Vermillion Inc. (NASDAQ: VRML) is down -29% at $2.13. The medical device maker’s stock more than doubled yesterday, and today’s action is likely a bit of profit-taking following an analyst’s downgrade. More coverage here.

Stay tuned for Thursday. We have noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

7:30 a.m. – Challenger Gray & Christmas job-cut report
8:30 a.m. – New unemployment benefits claims
10.00 a.m. – Census Bureau quarterly services survey
10:30 a.m. – EIA natural gas storage report
4:30 p.m. – Federal Reserve balance sheet and money supply

Paul Ausick

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire Tagged: AAPL, ADGF, ADP,, AEO, BONT, BWS, CHTP, CSIQ, CTIC, HOV, KFT, LULU, MAG, MCO, P, PG, TRCR, VRML

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (AAPL, ADP, ESRX, GGP, KFT, LULU, MHS, MCO, P, PG, VRSK, VRML)

Administrator — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 13:03:58 +0000

These are some of this Wednesday’s top analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen in Wall Street research calls.

Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) named Bull of the Day and raised to Outperform with $654 target at Zacks.

Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADP) Raised to Focus List at Credit Suisse.

Express Scripts, Inc. (NASDAQ: ESRX) Raised to Outperform at Macquarie.

General Growth Properties (NYSE: GGP) Started as Neutral at Citigroup.

Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE: KFT) Cut to Hold at Jefferies.

Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ: LULU) Raised to Outperform at Credit Suisse.

MedcoHealth Solutions Inc. (NYSE: MHS) Cut to Neutral at Macquarie.

Moody’s Corporation (NYSE: MCO) Started as Neutral at UBS.

Pandora Media, Inc. (NYSE: P) Cut to Market Perform at Raymond James; Cut to Neutral at Citigroup.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) Raised to Overweight at JPMorgan.

Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSK) Started as Neutral at UBS.

Vermillion, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRML) Cut to Sell at Ladenberg Thalmann.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Analyst Calls Tagged: AAPL, ADP,, ESRX, GGP, KFT, LULU, MCO, MHS, P, PG, VRML, VRSK

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (ADP, FSLR, FIO, HLF, IACI, MA, PAYX, PRA, SD, TRN, UPL, V, WAG, WEN)

Administrator — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 13:19:49 +0000

These are some of this Thursday’s top analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen in Wall Street research calls.

Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADP) Started as Buy at UBS.

First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) Maintained Buy but cut target to $50 at Argus.

Fusion-io, Inc. (NYSE: FIO) Started as Outperform with $50 target at Credit Suisse.

Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE: HLF) Reiterated Buy and raised target to $76 at Argus.

InterActiveCorp (NASDAQ: IACI) Raised to Buy at BofA/ML.

MasterCard Inc. (NYSE: MA) Started as Neutral at UBS.

Paychex, Inc. (NASDAQ: PAYX) Started as Buy at UBS.

ProAssurance Corp. (NYSE: PRA) named as Bull of the Day at Zacks.

SandRidge Energy, Inc. (NYSE: SD) Cut to Sell at Canaccord Genuity.

Trinity Industries, Inc. (NYSE: TRN) named as Value stock of the day at Zacks.

Ultra Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: UPL) named as Bear of the Day at Zacks.

Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) Started as Neutral at UBS.

Walgreen Co. (NYSE: WAG) Cut to Underperform at BofA/ML.

Wendy’s Company (NYSE: WEN) Cut to Neutral at Janney.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Analyst Calls Tagged: ADP,, FIO, FSLR, HLF, IACI, MA, PAYX, PRA, SD, TRN, UPL, V, WAG, WEN

24/7 Wall St. Top Analyst Calls of the Week (T, ADP. BBY, CHK, DNDN, ETFC, JCP, JPM, GS, MS, JEF, KLAC, LIFE, MCD, KORS, NFLX, VPRT, ZNGA)

Administrator — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 15:19:53 +0000

This last week brought many new analyst calls in key stocks. At the end of each week we review research calls looking for the best gems, the calls that made serious money for investors, and we also look for the duds which were wrong or just stood apart from the crowd.

The 24/7 Wall St. Top Analyst Calls of the Week were in shares of the following: AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T); Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NYSE: ADP); Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY); Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NYSE: CHK); Dendreon Corporation (NASDAQ: DNDN); E*TRADE Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: ETFC); J.C. Penney Company, Inc. (NYSE: JCP); J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM); Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS); Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS); Jefferies Group, Inc. (NYSE: JEF); KLA-Tencor Corporation (NASDAQ: KLAC); Life Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: LIFE); McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE: MCD); Michael Kors Holdings Limited (NYSE: KORS); Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX); Vistaprint NV (NASDAQ: VPRT); and Zynga Inc. (NASDAQ: ZNGA).

We have covered these in more detailed summaries below and some of these will have links to broader coverage calls.

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) has been a bit under pressure and frankly its earnings did not help the situation for the bulls despite some positive metrics. Now there is a bit more caution as the stock was reinstated in coverage on Friday at Credit Suisse: with a NEUTRAL and a mere $30.00 price target. This was one of Jim Cramer’s 4 FAVORITE DJIA PICKS FOR 2012 and it is the highest yield of the DJIA.

Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NYSE: ADP) met its second quarter earnings estimates this last week but apparently there are some valuation concerns despite the CFO seeing some continued positive trends in the economy. On Thursday there were two downgrades: Cut to NEUTRAL at Citigroup and Cut to MARKET PERFORM at Wells Fargo. Shares were around $57.oo pre-earnings and ended the week down at $55.34 and that may be another failed break-out attempt on the chart as the year high is $57.10.

Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY) is supposed to be down and out with absolutely nothing going for it. In fact, its real risk is that no one under 30 or so may ever go there again. Not so fast, according to Credit Suisse as the firm reinstated coverage with an OUTPERFORM rating and with a call of almost 30% upside to its $32.00 price target (versus $28.21 target from Thomson Reuters. This drove shares up 1.7% on Friday when the broad market was down.

Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NYSE: CHK) is the pure-play when it comes to investing in natural gas. It is no secret that nat-gas is in the tank. Apparently J.P.Morgan just couldn’t take the pressure any longer. The analyst team there cut Chesapeake to UNDERWEIGHT on Thursday… That is just a “Sell” masqueraded by vocabulary.

Dendreon Corporation (NASDAQ: DNDN) was given two calls of caution or at least calls with no enthusiasm despite its shares having more than doubled from the lows. Zacks maintained a NEUTRAL rating with a $14.00 target, while the team at Cantor Fitzgerald started it with only a HOLD rating. Both calls came on Wednesday and Wednesday’s was Dendreon’s highest price of the week.

E*TRADE Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: ETFC) is still supposed to be a buyout target according to the great analyst predictions of 2012, even though the company’s review ended with nothing. Earnings stank up the joint and the promise (or forecast) of exceptionally low rates through 2014 offers no comfort for earnings at online brokers. The stock was cut to NEUTRAL at Goldman Sachs this week. Keep in mind that Goldman Sachs was the firm hired to go find a buyer for E*TRADE. Not promising at all.

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Analyst Calls, Editor's Picks, Research, The Week Tagged: ADP,, BBY, CHK, DNDN, ETFC, GS, JCP, JEF, JPM, KLAC, KORS, LIFE, MCD, MS, NFLX, T, VPRT, ZNGA

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (ADP, CHK, SCHW, GLW, ETFC, GD, GE, GMCR, NRGM, ITW, LRCX, LIFE, NFLX, NVDA, RYAAY, VALE)

Administrator — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:04:39 +0000

These are some of the top analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen from Wall Street brokerage and research firms this Thursday morning.

Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NYSE: ADP) Cut to Neutral at Citigroup; Cut to Market Perform at Wells Fargo.
Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NYSE: CHK) Cut to Underweight at JPMorgan.
The Charles Schwab Corporation (NYSE: SCHW) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.
Corning Inc. (NYSE: GLW) Cut to Underweight at Morgan Stanley.
E*TRADE Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: ETFC) Cut to Neutral at Goldman Sachs.
General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE: GD) Cut to Perform at Oppenheimer.
General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) Reiterated Buy with $22 Target at Argus.
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR) Started as Perform at Williams Capital.
Inergy Midstream, L.P. (NYSE: NRGM) Started as Outperform with $26 target at Credit Suisse.
Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE: ITW) Raised to Buy at BofA/ML.
Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ: LRCX) Maintained Outperform with $56 target price at Credit Suisse.
Life Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: LIFE) Raised To Outperform From Market Perform By Leerink Swann
Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) Raised to Buy at Citigroup; Maintained Outperform and raised target to $125 at Credit Suisse.
NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) Raised to Positive at Susquehanna.
Ryanair Holdings plc (NASDAQ: RYAAY) Cut to Neutral at Nomura.
Vale S.A. (NYSE: VALE) Cut to Hold at Deutsche Bank.

If you enjoyed the top analyst calls, you can sign up in the box below to join our morning email list to receive news directly in your inbox each morning. We include major analyst upgrades and downgrades, IPO and M&A news, special situation developments, observations on Warren Buffett and key market gurus, as well as special exclusive feature stories.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: ADP,, CHK, ETFC, GD, GE, GLW, GMCR, ITW, LIFE, LRCX, NFLX, NRGM, NVDA, RYAAY, SCHW, VALE

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (ADTN, AAP, APD, MT, ADP, BKU, BA, CATM, CSH, CVX, C, HGSI, LAMR, MA, RSH, SMG, UBS, VE, V, WFT, BRCM)

Administrator — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:14:47 +0000

These are some of the top analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen from Wall Street brokerage and research firms this Thursday morning.

ADTRAN, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADTN) Cut to Hold at Needham Research.
Advance Auto Parts (NYSE: AAP) Raised to Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Air Products and Chemical, Inc. (NYSE: APD) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.
Arcelor Mittal (NYSE: MT) Cut to Neutral at HSBC.
Automatic Data Processing. Inc. (NYSE: ADP) Started as Outperform at Credit Suisse.
BankUnited, Inc. (NYSE: BKU) Cut to Neutral at BofA/ML.
Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) Cut to Sell at Societe Generale.
Cardtronics, Inc. (NASDAQ: CATM) Started as Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Cash America International (NYSE: CSH) Raised to Buy at Sterne Agee.
Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) maintained Buy with $130 target but cut estimates at Argus.
Citigroup, Inc. (NYSE: C) Maintained Sell at Argus.
Human Genome Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ: HGSI) Started as Buy with $14 price target at Maxim.
Lamar Advertising Co. (NASDAQ: LAMR) maintained as Outperform and named as the Bull of the Day at Zacks.
MasterCard Inc. (NYSE: MA) Started as Outperform at Credit Suisse.
RadioShack Corporation (NYSE: RSH) Cut to Underperform at Credit Suisse.
Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE: SMG) Cut to Underperform at BMO Capital.
UBS AG (NYSE: UBS) Raised to Overweight at Morgan Stanley.
Veolia Environnement (NYSE: VE) Cut to Neutral at HSBC.
Visa, Inc. (NYSE: V) Started as Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Weatherford International Inc. (NYSE: WFT) named as value stock of the day at Zacks.

Read Also: Jim Cramer touts Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ: BRCM) as a cheap catch-up semiconductor stock. This creates a chart versus fundamental event in price.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: AAP, ADP,, ADTN, APD, BA, BKU, BRCM, C, CATM, CSH, CVX, HGSI, LAMR, MA, MT, RSH, SMG, UBS, V, VE, WFT

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (ADTN, AGN, AAPL, ADP, ABX, C, EXPE, GILD, LNKD, MA, NOK, OPEN, PWRD, RIMM, RGLD, TSM, AMTD, VECO)

Administrator — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 12:07:20 +0000

These are some of this Friday’s top analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen having an impact from Wall Street research calls.

Adtran Inc. (NASDAQ: ADTN) Reiterated Buy and $49 target at Argus.
Allergan Inc. (NYSE: AGN) Started as Buy at Deutsche Bank.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) Maintained Buy with $490 target at BofA/ML.
Automatic Data Processing Inc. (NYSE: ADP) Reiterated Buy and $60 Target at Argus.
Barrick Gold Corporation (NYSE: ABX) named value stock of the day at Zacks.
Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) Started as Market Perform at Wells Fargo.
Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) named Bull of the Day at Zacks.
Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ: GILD) Raised to Buy at Goldman Sachs.
LinkedIn Corporation (NYSE: LNKD) Started as Overweight at Barclays.
Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE: MA) Cut to Neutral at Baird.
Nokia Corporation (NYSE: NOK) Raised to Buy at Societe Generale.
OpenTable, Inc. (NASDAQ: OPEN) Started as Underweight at Barclays.
Perfect World Co., Ltd. (NASDAQ: PWRD) Cut to Neutral at Credit Suisse.
Research in Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ: RIMM) Cut to Market Perform at Raymond James; Maintained Neutral but cut target to $30 at BofA/ML.
Royal Gold, Inc. (NASDAQ: RGLD) Cut to Neutral at HSBC.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (NYSE: TSM) Raised to Buy at BofA/ML.
TD AMERITRADE Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: AMTD) Raised to Buy at Citigroup.
Veeco Instruments Inc. (NASDAQ: VECO) Cut to Neutral at BofA/ML.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: AAPL, ABX, ADP,, ADTN, AGN, AMTD, C, EXPE, GILD, LNKD, MA, NOK, OPEN, PWRD, RGLD, RIMM, TSM, VECO

S&P Defends Top U.S. Six Corporate Issuer Ratings (ADP, XOM, JNJ, MSFT, GE, GWW)

Administrator — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 19:22:13 +0000

Standard & Poor’s may have done the inevitable move of a U.S. credit ratings downgrade and it may have followed with the downgrade of the insurance companies and with many government agencies and dependent entities. Generally speaking, S&P does not allow “AAA” ratings for companies in nations where the “AAA” rating does not exist for the sovereign nation. We had been given indications that there would be exceptions on this downgrade, but S&P has said that it is not downgrading six of the highest rated non-financial corporate issuers:

Automatic Data Processing Inc. (NYSE: ADP) at AAA/Stable/A-1+
ExxonMobil Corporation (NYSE: XOM) at AAA/Stable/A-1+
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) at AAA/Stable/A-1+
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) at AAA/Stable/A-1+
General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) at AA+/Stable/A-1+
W.W. Grainger Inc. (NYSE: GWW) at AA+/Stable/A-1+

S&P noted that these companies would be able to meet their ability to fulfill their financial obligations even if a sovereign default scenario arises. S&P called these out as having excellent business risk profiles.

Even before the downgrade from S&P, it was our assumption that a downgrade was coming. We even gave a list of the other “AAA” nations and outlined four more nations we think may lose their “AAA” ratings based on collateral damage. If we are not “AAA” there are other “AAA” ratings that aren’t deserved as well.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls, Bonds Tagged: ADP,, GE, GWW, JNJ, MSFT, XOM