24/7 Wall St. » AGN

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (CHK, COP, RSH, STM, AIZ, ABX, MRO, MA, AGN, AUY, TWX, CLX, RDC, RRD, MSO, IACI, FSLR, DSX, COCO, APA, OWW, WNR, CMCSA, SVNT)

Paul Ausick — Wed, 02 May 2012 20:09:45 +0000

The major US stock indexes opened lower this morning following dismal reports from Europe on manufacturing (our coverage here) and unemployment (more coverage here). The ADP report on US unemployment provided more gloomy news ahead of Friday’s official unemployment numbers (more coverage here). The US EIA petroleum inventory report helped push oil prices down (more coverage here), but the weak economic news ruled the day. Only the Nasdaq index has managed to pull into positive territory at all today, and that by less than 0.2% about an hour before closing. The US dollar index rose today, now up 0.39% at 79.130. The GSCI commodity index is up fractionally at 687.61, with commodities mostly lower on the rising dollar. Chicago wheat fell more than -4.5% to post the biggest loss of the day. WTI crude oil closed down -0.9% at $105.22/barrel, and Brent crude trades down -1.23% at $1118.19/barrel. Gold settled down -0.5% today, at $1,654.00/ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down nearly 11 points to 13,268.65 (-0.08%), the NASDAQ rose more than 9 points (0.31%) to 3,059.85, and the S&P 500 fell -0.25% or more than 3 points to 1,402.31.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Chesapeake Energy Corp. (NYSE: CHK) cut to ‘neutral’ at R.W. Baird; ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) cut to ‘underperform’ at BofA/ML and started as ‘overweight’ at JPMorgan; RadioShack (NYSE: RSH) raised to ‘buy’ at Auriga; STMicroelectronics NV (NYSE: STM) raised to ‘buy’ at Goldman Sachs and raised to ‘neutral’ at Citigroup; and Assurant Inc. (NYSE: AIZ) cut to ‘underperform’ at BofA/ML.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: Barrick Gold Corp. (NYSE: ABX) is down -2.8% at $39.30 (more coverage here); Marathon Oil Corp. (NYSE: MRO) is down -4.4% at $28.85; Mastercard Inc. (NYSE: MA) is down -0.8% at $452.14; Allergan Inc. (NYSE: AGN) is down -4.3% at $92.29; Yamana Gold Inc. (NYSE: AUY) is down -2.6% at $14.36; Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX) is down -1.6% at $37.30; The Clorox Co. (NYSE: CLX) is down -3.3% at $67.74; Rowan Companies Inc. (NYSE: RDC) is up 1.3% at $34.97; R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co. (NASDAQ: RRD) is down -7% at $11.79; Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. (NYSE: MSO) is down -1.2% at $3.41; and IAC/InterActiveCorp. (NASDAQ: IACI) is up 3.3% at $50.34 after posting a new 52-week high of $52.77 earlier today.

Tomorrow we get earnings from First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR), Diana Shipping Inc. (NYSE: DSX), Corinthian Colleges Inc. (NASDAQ: COCO), Apache Corp. (NYSE: APA), Orbitz Worldwide Inc. (NYSE: OWW), and Western Refining Inc. (NYSE: WNR) among many others.

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

Chesapeake Energy is down -13.5% at $16.95 after posting a new 52-week low of $15.86 earlier today. The natural gas producer reported weak results and more troubles for CEO Aubrey McClendon. More coverage here.

Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ: CMCSA) is down -1% at $30.29. The cable company reported good earnings this morning. More coverage here.

Savient Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: SVNT) is down -18.8% at $1.51. An analyst has said that the company insolvent. More coverage here.

Stay tuned for Thursday. Philadelphia Fed President Charles Plosser, Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart, and San Francisco Fed President John Williams are speaking at a conference. We have noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

7:30 a.m. – Challenger job cut report
8:30 a.m. – New claims for unemployment benefits
8:30 a.m. – Productivity and costs report
10:00 a.m. – ISM non-manufacturing index
10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly natural gas storage report
4:30 p.m. – Federal Reserve balance sheet and money supply

Paul Ausick

Filed under: HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: ABX, AGN, AIZ, APA, AUY, CHK, CLX, CMCSA, COCO, COP, DSX, FSLR, IACI, MA, MRO, MSO, OWW, RDC, RRD, RSH, STM, SVNT, TWX, WNR

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (AGN, CRZO, XRAY, DWA, ERTS, IAG, GOOG, LLTC, ONXX, STX, SIG, VRSN, YHOO, DGI, GEOY)

Administrator — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:34:55 +0000

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

Allergan Inc. (NYSE: AGN) Raised to Buy at Argus.
Carrizo Oil & Gas (NASDAQ: CRZO) is named as a top small cap idea with multiple ways to win and with a “valuation too tepid” and firm reiterated a Buy rating and gave a new target of $49.00 by Canaccord Genuity.
DENTSPLY International (NASDAQ: XRAY) named as Bull of the Day at Zacks.
DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. (NASDAQ: DWA) Cut to Average at Caris & Co.
Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) Raised to Buy from Neutral at Citigroup.
IAMGOLD Corp (NYSE: IAG) Started as Outperform with $25.00 price target objective at Credit Suisse.
Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) Raised to Buy at Citigroup.
Linear Technology Corporation (NASDAQ: LLTC) named as Bear of the Day at Zacks.
Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ONXX) Cut to Neutral from Buy at BofA/Merrill Lynch.
Seagate Technology PLC (NYSE: STX) Raised to Buy at Argus.
Signet Jewelers Limited (NYSE: SIG) named as value stock of the day at Zacks.
VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN) named as aggressive growth stock of the day at Zacks.

Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) maintained Buy with an $18.00 price target objective at BofA/Merrill Lynch.

In the field of satellite imaging, Canaccord Genuity cut its ambitions due to austerity cuts: DigitalGlobe (NYSE: DGI) was maintained at Buy but the target was cut to $23.50; GeoEye, Inc. (NASDAQ: GEOY) was maintained as Hold and the target wass lowered to $22.00 per share.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: AGN, CRZO, DGI, DWA, ERTS, GEOY, GOOG, IAG, LLTC, ONXX, SIG, STX, VRSN, XRAY, YHOO

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

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (ARO, AGU, AGN, AIG, CI, DTV, DISH, DWA, GLGL, MMI, RIMM, RVBD, MOBI, S, RIG, VMW, DIS)

Administrator — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 12:38:52 +0000

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

Aeropostale, Inc. (NYSE: ARO) Raised to Hold at Jefferies.
Agrium Inc. (NYSE: AGU) Reiterated Buy as Value at Zacks.
Allergan Inc. (NYSE: AGN) Raised to Outperform at Credit Suisse.
American International Group, Inc. (NYSE: AIG) Cut to Underperform as Bear of the Day at Zacks.
CIGNA Corporation (NYSE: CI) Maintained Outperform as Bull of the Day at Zacks.
DIRECTV (NASDAQ: DTV) Cut to Neutral at BofA/ML.
Dish Network Corp. (NASDAQ: DISH) Cut to Underperform at BofA/ML.
DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. (NASDAQ: DWA) Cut to Neutral at BofA/ML.
GLG Life Tech Corporation (NASDAQ: GLGL) maintained Buy but cut estimates and target to $7.50 at Canaccord Genuity.
Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. (NYSE: MMI) Cut to Sell at Argus; Cut to Underperform at Raymond James; Cut to Neutral at Goldman Sachs; Raised to Market Perform at BMO.
Research-in-Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ: RIMM) Cut to Sell at Societe Generale.
Riverbed Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: RVBD) Raised to Buy at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey.
Sky-mobi Limited (NASDAQ: MOBI) Cut to Hold at Citigroup.
Sprint Nextel Corporation (NYSE: S) Raised to Buy at Collins Stewart.
Transocean Ltd. (RIG : NYSE) maintained HOLD but raised target to $69 at Canaccord Genuity.
VMware Inc. (NYSE: VMW) Raised to Overweight at Barclays.
Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) Cut to Neutral at BofA/ML.

You are invited to join our free daily email distribution list to hear more about analyst upgrades and downgrades, top day trader and active trader alerts, dividend trends, news on Buffett and other investment gurus, IPOs, secondary offerings, private equity, and more.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: AGN, AGU, AIG, ARO, CI, DIS, DISH, DTV, DWA, GLGL, MMI, MOBI, RIG, RIMM, RVBD, S, VMW

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (AGN, DVA, DNDN, ENTR, HES, MCD, STX, SKX, S, SWC, TWX, WFM)

Administrator — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 12:13:01 +0000

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

Allergan Inc. (NYSE: AGN) Cut to Neutral at Piper Jaffray.
DaVita, Inc. (NYSE: DVA) Raised to Overweight at Piper Jaffray.
Dendreon Corporation (NASDAQ: DNDN) Raised to Neutral at Credit Suisse; Cut to Neutral at Baird; Cut to Hold at Needham; Cut to Underperform at BofA/ML.
Entropic Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENTR) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.
Hess Corporation (NYSE: HES) Reiterated Buy with $95 target at Argus.
McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE: MCD) Raised to Overweight at Piper Jaffray.
Seagate Technology PLC (NASDAQ: STX) Raised to Hold at S&P Equity Research (late Wednesday call).
Skechers U.S.A. (NYSE: SKX) Called Bear of the Day at Zacks.
Sprint Nextel Corporation (NYSE: S) Raised to Hold at Stifel Nicolaus.
Stillwater Mining Company (NYSE: SWC) Kept as Outperform but cut target to $22 at Credit Suisse.
Time Warner. Inc (NYSE: TWX) Reiterated Outperform with $40 target on Focus List at Credit Suisse.
Whole Foods Market Inc. (NASDAQ: WFM) Maintained Outperform as Bull of the Day at Zacks.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: AGN, DNDN, DVA, ENTR, HES, MCD, S, SKX, STX, SWC, TWX, WFM

The Eleven Most Implanted Medical Devices In America

247wallst — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 00:02:40 +0000

Implanted medical devices are one of the most profitable businesses of the U.S. healthcare industry. While many devices help extend and improve quality of life, a great many others may not be necessary. In some cases devices such as stents, screws, and artificial joints do not work well or are not any better than a cheaper procedure; in others, the risks may not be worth the benefits. All of the devices place a large cost-burden on U.S. medical spending, whether entirely effective or not.

Read: The Eleven Most Implanted Medical Devices In America

On a yearly basis, medical device companies across the world bring in over $200 billion in revenue. In the U.S. alone, these companies take in over $85 billion a year. A large portion of that is for devices that are implanted in the human body.

On the whole, there is little concentrated information on the industry. Data on which company makes what device; sales figures of each individual implants per medical device companies; or the number of procedures done for each implant each year are not always readily available. More troubling, there is little information gathered in any one place about the potential dangers and flaws of these devices, or the complications that occur due to their implantation procedure.

24/7 Wall St. has examined National Health Survey data, multiple professional physician services, peer-reviewed journals, and SEC filings to complete a list of the most frequently implanted medical devices today. While many of these are life saving, controversy swirls around several others. In some cases, we found exact total costs from self-reporting by physician sub-specialties. In others, we estimated costs based on medicare outlays, industry reports, and academic publications.

Many of the devices implanted are medically necessary and do their jobs extending lives and improving quality of life, the 24/7 Wall St. research shows. Some products, such as artificial knees may even be underutilized. Others, like implantable cardio-defibrillators, may be over-utilized. What is certain in most of the cases we reviewed is that the effectiveness of these devices is not as well researched or understood as their widespread use may imply.

These are 24/7 Wall St.’s Eleven Most Implanted Medical Devices In America.

Filed under: Healthcare, Medical Tagged: ABT, AGN, BSX, JNJ, MDT, NVS, TEVA, ZMH

Top Earnings Previews for Wednesday (AGN, AOL, GRMN, GG, JDSU, MET, NWS-A, PCG, TSLA, TWX, RIG, VG, WFMI)

Administrator — Tue, 03 May 2011 19:56:05 +0000

This week marks the beginning of the end of corporate earnings season for the first quarter of 2011. Many off-calendar quarters will be seen starting next week or the week after. Wednesday is a big earnings day and we have compiled some previews for the following: Allergan Inc. (NYSE: AGN); AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL); Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN); Goldcorp Inc. (NYSE: GG); JDS Uniphase Corporation (NASDAQ: JDSU); MetLife Inc. (NYSE: MET); News Corp. (NASDAQ: NWSA); PG& E Corp. (NYSE: PCG); Tesla Motors, Inc. (NYSE: TSLA); Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX); Transocean Ltd. (NYSE: RIG); Vonage Holdings Corporation (NYSE: VG); and Whole Foods Market, Inc. (NASDAQ: WFMI).

Allergan Inc. (NYSE: AGN) is due Wednesday morning and shares were down 2.3% at $78.52 late on Tuesday. Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.74 EPS and $1.22 billion in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.92 EPS and $1.32 billion in revenues. Thomson Reuters has a consensus price target objective of $80.75 and the 52-week trading range is $56.26 to $80.70.

AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL) is due Wednesday morning. Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.17 EPS and $536.35 million in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.22 EPS and $521.22 million in revenues. The shares were trading around $20.30 late on Tuesday. Thomson Reuters has a consensus price target of $24.77 and the 52-week trading range is $18.51 to $27.65.

Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN) has managed to hold up despite competition and changing demand concerns. The stock was around $33.50 late on Tuesday with earnings early Wednesday morning. Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.33 EPS and $413.09 million in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.65 EPS and $637.04 million in revenues. Thomson Reuters has a consensus price target objective of $31.53 and the 52-week trading range is $26.11 to $39.05.

Goldcorp Inc. (NYSE: GG) may trade around gold more than earnings. Shares were down 3.3% late in the day at $51.00. Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.48 EPS and $1.26 billion in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.53 EPS and $1.36 billion in revenues. Thomson Reuters has a consensus price target objective of $64.50 and the 52-week trading range is $38.07 to $56.20.

JDS Uniphase Corporation (NASDAQ: JDSU) will come Wednesday afternoon and shares have come back to about $20.25. Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.20 EPS and $448.17 million in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.25 EPS and $470.18 million in revenues. Thomson Reuters has a consensus price target objective of $24.74 and the 52-week trading range is $9.05 to $29.12.

MetLife Inc. (NYSE: MET) is due Wednesday morning and Thomson Reuters has estimates of $1.26 EPS and $15.89 billion in revenues. Shares were around $46.32 late Tuesday and Thomson Reuters has a consensus price target objective of $55.44 and the 52-week trading range is $35.38 to $48.72.

Filed under: Calendar, Earnings Tagged: AGN, AOL, GG, GRMN, JDSU, MET, NWS-A, PCG, RIG, TSLA, TWX, VG, WFMI

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (ADBE, ARG, AGN, AEO, AN, COG, FITB, F, GM, HUM, JBL, JNS, LEA, LINE, MRX, RSH, AMTD)

Administrator — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 12:23:13 +0000

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

Adobe Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE) Cut to Hold at S&P Equity Research (late-Thursday call).
Airgas, Inc. (NYSE: ARG) Cut to Neutral at BofA/ML.
Allergan Inc. (NYSE: AGN) Started as Neutral at Credit Suisse.
American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE: AEO) Cut to Neutral at Susquehanna.
AutoNation Inc. (NYSE: AN) Cut to Neutral at Credit Suisse.
Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation (NYSE: COG) Raised to Buy at BofA/ML.
Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ: FITB) Raised to Outperform at KBW.
Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) Started as Buy at Jefferies.
General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) Started as Hold at Jefferies.
Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) Raised to Buy at Argus.
Jabil Circuit Inc. (NYSE: JBL) Raised to Hold at S&P Equity Research (late-Thursday call).
Janus Capital Group Inc. (NYSE: JNS) Raised to Hold at Citigroup.
Lear Corp. (NYSE: LEA) Started as Buy at Jefferies.
Linn Energy, LLC (NASDAQ: LINE) Started as Outperform at Baird.
Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp. (NYSE: MRX) Started as Underperform at Credit Suisse.
RadioShack Corporation (NYSE: RSH) Reiterated Underperform as Bear of the Day at Zacks.
TD AMERITRADE Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: AMTD) Raised to Buy at BofA/ML.

You can join our free daily email distribution list to hear more about analyst upgrades and downgrades, top day trader and active trader alerts, dividend trends, news on Buffett and other investment gurus, IPOs, secondary offerings, private equity, and more.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: ADBE, AEO, AGN, AMTD, AN, ARG, COG, F, FITB, GM, HUM, JBL, JNS, LEA, LINE, MRX, RSH

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (BX, COP, DISCA, GGP, HOLX, AGN, NVDA, STRA, TKC, UNH, URI, WM, WLP)

Administrator — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 13:02:21 +0000

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

The Blackstone Group LP (NYSE: BX) Started as Buy at Citigroup.
ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) Maintained Buy on Focus List with $81 target at Argus.
Discovery Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: DISCA) Started as Neutral at Credit Suisse.
General Growth Properties Inc. (NYSE: GGP) Raised to Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Hologic Inc. (NASDAQ: HOLX) replaced Allergan Inc. (NYSE: AGN) on the Convition Buy List at Goldman Sachs.
NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) Raised to Outperform as Bull of the Day at Zacks Investment Research.
Strayer Education (NASDAQ: STRA) was named the Bear of the Day at Zacks Investment Research.
Turkcell (NYSE: TKC) Cut to Underperform at Credit Suisse.
UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE: UNH) Raised to Buy at Stifel Nicolaus.
United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE: URI) Started as Buy at Goldman Sachs.
Waste Management Inc. (NYSE: WM) Maintained BUY with $44 target at Argus.
WellPoint Inc. (NYSE: WLP) Raised to Buy at Stifel Nicolaus.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: AGN, BX, COP, DISCA, GGP, HOLX, NVDA, STRA, TKC, UNH, URI, WLP, WM

Corporate Bond Floodgates Open Wide (IBM, JNJ, DELL, HD, AGN, AXP, ATK, AON, HPQ, MHS, HSP, HCN, PH, GR, USB, BRK.B, FTE, CM)

Administrator — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 16:16:42 +0000

If corporations have high credit ratings, there is an opportunity to borrow for rates that have not been seen in years (or ever). August saw key bond issuances at extremely low rates from Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) and from International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM), but this is nothing compared to what we are seeing in September. We are not even a full work week into the month, there was Labor Day, and there is Rosh Hashanah starting Wednesday at sundown. This month is already nearly double in planned corporate bond issuances from September-2009 with names such as Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL), Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD), Allergan Inc. (NYSE: AGN), American Express Company (NYSE: AXP), Alliant Techsystems Inc. (NYSE: ATK), AON Corp. (NYSE: AON), Hewlett Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ), Medco Health Solutions Inc. (NYSE: MHS), Hospira Inc. (NYSE: HSP), Health Care Reit Inc. (NYSE: HCN), Parker Hannifin Corporation (NYSE: PH), Goodrich Corp. (NYSE: GR), and U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB). Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK.B) is getting a bond offering off for its BNSF rail unit and cross-border we have seen set offerings for France Telecom (NYSE: FTE), Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (NYSE: CM)

In August, IBM (NYSE: IBM) sold bonds at record low rates at 1% for 3-year notes, which would lead one to wonder why it did not issue more to go out on the curve. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) sold $1.1 billion via $550 million in 10-Year notes at 2.95% and $550 million in 30-Year bonds at 4.5%.

Filed under: Bonds, Dividend, Economy, Secondary Offering, Shareholder Issues Tagged: AGN, AON, ATK, AXP, BRK-B, CM, DELL, FTE, GR, HCN, HD, HPQ, HSP, IBM, JNJ, MHS, PH, USB