24/7 Wall St. » AMCX

Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades (ATK, AMZN, AMCX, AMGN, AAPL, ADSK, EBAY, FLEX, JNS, ORCL, TIF, WPRT, GS, JPM, UBS)

Jon C. Ogg — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 13:38:04 +0000

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

Alliant Techsystems Inc. (NYSE: ATK) cut to Market Perform at FBR Capital Markets.

Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) maintained Buy but raised target to $290 at Canaccord Genuity.

AMC Networks Inc. (NASDAQ: AMCX) raised to Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley.

Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ: AMGN) raised to Buy with $96 target at Argus.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) saw its price target cut to $670 from $770 at Goldman Sachs, but here is a piece showing just how much Wall Street chases price targets up and down based on sentiment.

Autodesk Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) raised to Conviction Buy List at Goldman Sachs.

EBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) raised to Outperform at Bernstein and started as Positive at Susquehanna.

Flextronics International Ltd. (NASDAQ: FLEX) cut to Outperform at Raymond James ad cut to Neutral at UBS.

Janus Capital Group Inc. (NYSE: JNS) cut to Sell at Citigroup.

Oracle Corp. (NASDAQ: ORCL) maintained Buy but removed from Conviction Buy List and price target lowered to $37 from $39 at Goldman Sachs.

Tiffany & Co. (NYSE: TIF) raised to Overweight at HSBC.

Westport Innovations Inc. (NASDAQ: WPRT) started as Market Perform at Raymond James.

EU and U.S. brokers make key changes in investment banks:

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) cut to Hold at Deutsche Bank.
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) cut to Neutral at Citigroup.
J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) raised to Buy at Deutsche Bank.
Credit Suisse Group (NYSE: CS) raised to Buy at Soc-Gen.
UBS A.G. (NYSE: UBS) cut to Hold at Soc-Gen.

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Analyst Calls Tagged: AAPL, ADSK, AMCX, AMGN, AMZN, ATK, DB, EBAY, FLEX, GS, JNS, JPM, ORCL, TIF, UBS, WPRT

Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades (AMCX, AMGN, BHI, CPST, CHKP, DUK, EIX, MNST, NTAP, OSG, P, PHI, BTU, WDC, YHOO, BKCC, FSC, QLYS, MCC, PNNT)

Jon C. Ogg — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 12:50:42 +0000

These are some of the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations seen in Wall St. research notes this Tuesday.

AMC Networks Inc. (NASDAQ: AMCX) cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.

Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ: AMGN) raised to Buy at Deutsche Bank.

Baker Hughes Inc. (NYSE: BHI) cut to Hold at Soc-Gen.

Capstone Turbine Corp. (NASDAQ: CPST) started as Neutral at Roth Capital.

Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHKP) raised to Overweight at JPMorgan.

Duke Energy Corp. (NYSE: DUK) started as Overweight at JPMorgan.

Edison International (NYSE: EIX) cut to Neutral at Goldman Sachs.

Monster Beverage Co. (NASDAQ: MNST) maintained Buy but removed from Conviction Buy List at Goldman Sachs.

NetApp Inc. (NASDAQ: NTAP) cut to Neutral at Baird.

Overseas Shipholding Group Inc. (NYSE: OSG) cut to Neutral at Credit Suisse.

Pandora Media Inc. (NYSE: P) started as Overweight at JPMorgan.

Parker Hannifin Corp. (NYSE: PHI) cut to Hold at Argus.

Peabody Energy Corp. (NYSE: BTU) cut to Neutral at Goldman Sachs.

Western Digital Corp. (NASDAQ: WDC) cut to Underperform at CLSA.

Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) raised to Positive at Susquehanna.

Credit Suisse: BlackRock Kelso Capital Corp. (NASDAQ: BKCC), Fifth Street Finance Corp. (NASDAQ: FSC), Qualys Inc. (NASDAQ: QLYS) and Medley Capital Corp. (NYSE: MCC) all started as Neutral. PennantPark Investment Corp. (NASDAQ: PNNT) started as Outperform.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Analyst Calls Tagged: AMCX, AMGN, BHI, BKCC, BTU, CHKP, CPST, DUK, EIX, FSC, MCC, MNST, NTAP, OSG, P, PHI, PNNT, QLYS, WDC, YHOO

Media Digest (10/22/2012) Reuters, WSJ, NYT, FT, Bloomberg

Douglas A. McIntyre — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 10:33:53 +0000

BP PLC (NYSE: BP) sets a deal to sell its half of BP-TNK to Rosneft. (Reuters)

European Union leaders will take at least two months to set terms for new rules for the organization and bailout terms. (Reuters)

Dish Network Corp. (NASDAQ: DISH) settles its dispute with Cablevision Systems Corp. (NYSE: CVC) and AMC Networks Inc. (NASDAQ: AMCX). (Reuters)

A British private equity firm will take over Ancestry.com Inc. (NASDAQ: ACOM). (WSJ)

Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) tries to control how retailers display Windows 8. (WSJ)

Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) prices its Lumina below most competing smartphones. (WSJ)

Japan’s exports drop, largely because of trade disputes with China. (WSJ)

More companies start to use data from their work on social networks like Twitter and Facebook to help target ads. (WSJ)

Facebook Inc.’s (NASDAQ: FB) move into e-commerce could substantially improve profits. (WSJ)

Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) will relaunch Disney.com to restart its web strategy. (NYT)

Weak U.S. earnings begin to pull down the market. (FT)

Germany will warn the United Kingdom not to use its veto power at an upcoming summit about Europe’s future. (FT)

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) will try to use sales to schools to boost iPad share. (Bloomberg)

Royal Philip Electronics beats earnings estimates as its new CEO appears to have set a winning strategy. (Bloomberg)

Douglas A. McIntyre

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Press Digest Tagged: AAPL, ACOM, AMCX, BP, CVC, DIS, DISH, FB, MSFT, NOK

Media Digest (8/20/2012) Reuters, WSJ, NYT, FT, Bloomberg

Douglas A. McIntyre — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 10:47:00 +0000

Workers in the aerospace industry are concerned about potential military cuts at the end of this year. (Reuters)

Best Buy Co. Inc. (NYSE: BBY) says that founder Richard Schulze turned down an offer from the board to conduct due diligence ahead of a possible buyout. (Reuters)

American Airlines attendants accept new labor terms. (Reuters)

Some of Groupon Inc.’s (NASDAQ: GRPN) largest shareholders have sold the stock (WSJ)

Hubert Joly, head of Carlson, will become CEO of Best Buy. (WSJ)

Aetna Inc. (NYSE: AET) will buy Coventry Health Inc. (NYSE: CVH) for $5.7 billion. (WSJ)

CME Group (NASDAQ: CME) to launch an exchange in London. (WSJ)

General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) comes closer to a deal to shorten working hours at some German plants. (WSJ)

GM products sold in China influence the design of some of its new cars. (WSJ)

J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) chooses former Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) CEO Lee Raymond to oversee an investigation of a huge trading loss based in London. (WSJ)

Spain asks for the European Central Bank to purchase its bonds ahead of a request for a bailout from its neighbors. (WSJ)

Plans by Royal Dutch Shell PLC (NYSE: RDS-A) proceed slower than expected. (WSJ)

Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) begins efforts to speed deliveries of 787s. (WSJ)

Dish Network Corp. (NASDAQ: DISH) hurts the prospects of once-hot AMC Networks Inc. (NASDAQ: AMCX). (WSJ)

Aid to Greece is not firmly in place, which could hurt global markets. (NYT)

Medical apps may soon be prescribed by doctors. (NYT)

The head of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) says the current economic period is as uncertain as the one during the recession and warns about Europe. (FT)

Banks use an excess $1.7 billion, built from deposits, to buy Treasuries. (Bloomberg)

Investors fear more upcoming ends to lockups of Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) shares. (Bloomberg)

Douglas A. McIntyre

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Press Digest Tagged: AET, AMCX, BA, BBY, CAT, CME, CVH, DISH, FB, GM, GRPN, JPM, RDS-A, XOM

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — August 9, 2012: Markets Don’t Get Excited Today Either (CSCO, STX, TOL, AAPL, MPEL, AFFY, CTL, CLR, EDMC, JACK, KGC, MNST, AUY, AAP, AMCX, CDTI, HSH, JRCC, RGLD, WEN, DV, JWN, NVDA, CDXS, JCP, RBN, NOV, MDRX, SPWR)

Paul Ausick — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 20:06:28 +0000

The three major US stock indexes opened mixed this morning following a wealth of data on the Chinese economy. The short version is that the economy is slowing so much and inflation is so low that the government just has to provide some stimulus (more coverage here). In Europe, Italy’s trade balance was not as bad as expected. The US report on new claims for unemployment benefits came in better than expected, which boosted equities a bit before the open (more coverage here), and the US trade deficit was not as large as expected (more coverage here).

The US dollar index rose today, now up 0.32% at 82.659. The GSCI commodity index rose fractionally to 658.72, with commodities prices mixed today. Corn hit an all-time high of $8.27/bushel before pulling back a little. WTI crude oil was essentially flat today, closing at $93.36/barrel. Brent crude trades up 0.95% at $113.20/barrel. Natural gas is down -0.14% today to $2.929/thousand cubic feet. Gold settled at $1,620.20/ounce, up 0.3% for the day.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down more than 10 points to 13,165.19 (-0.08%), the NASDAQ rose more than 7 points (0.25%) to 3,018.64, and the S&P 500 rose 0.04% or less than 1 point to 1,402.79.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) raised to ‘Conviction Buy List’ at Goldman Sachs and raised to ‘overweight’ at Piper Jaffray (more coverage here); Seagate Technology PLC (NASDAQ: STX) started as ‘buy’ at Lazard; Toll Brothers Inc. (NYSE: TOL) cut to ‘underweight’ at JPMorgan; Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) started as ‘buy’ at Stifel Nicolaus; and Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd. (NASDAQ: MPEL) started as ‘underperform’ at Jefferies.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: Affymax Inc. (NASDAQ: AFFY) is down -5.8% at $16.00; CenturyLink Inc. (NYSE: CTL) is up 1.4% at $42.60 after posting a new 52-week high of $43.43 earlier today; Continental Resources Inc. (NYSE: CLR) is up 3.6% at $72.04; Education Management Corp. (NASDAQ: EDMC) is down -20.8% at $3.16; Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ: JACK) is down -0.35% at $25.97 (more coverage here); Kinross Gold Corp. (NYSE: KGC) is up 2.7% at $8.04 (more coverage here); Monster Beverage Corp. (NASDAQ: MNST) is down -9.7% at $61.23; Yamana Gold Inc. (NYSE: AUY) is up 2.3% at $15.43; Advance Auto Parts Inc. (NYSE: AAP) is down -3% at $68.43; AMC Networks Inc. (NASDAQ: AMCX) is up 0.9% at $43.71; Clean Diesel Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: CDTI) is down -2.3% at $2.38; Hillshire Brands Co. (NYSE: HSH) is up 2.9% at $25.88; James River Coal Co. (NASDAQ: JRCC) is up 16.1% at $2.59; Royal Gold Inc. (NASDAQ: RGLD) is down -2.3% at $76.95; and The Wendy’s Co. (NASDAQ: WEN) is up 0.6% at $4.56.

After markets close today we’re scheduled to hear from DeVry Inc. (NYSE: DV), Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN), Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ: NVDA), and Codexis Inc. (NASDAQ: CDXS).

Before markets open on Friday we are scheduled to get earnings results from J.C. Penney Co. Inc. (NYSE: JCP).

Some standouts from today include the following stocks:

Robbins & Myers Inc. (NYSE: RBN) is up 27.3% at $59.58. The previous high was $53.50. The oil field drilling equipment maker is being acquired by National Oilwell Varco Inc. (NYSE: NOV) for $2.5 billion, or $60/share.

Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ: MDRX) is up 18% at $11.34. The medical records software company raised quarterly profit estimate.

SunPower Corp (NASDAQ: SPWR) is down -10.6% at $4.20. The solar PV maker reported so-so results last night, but new guidance was lower than expected. More coverage here.

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

8:30 a.m. – Import and export prices
2:00 p.m. – Treasury budget

Paul Ausick

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: AAP, AAPL, AFFY, AMCX, AUY, CDTI, CDXS, CLR, CSCO, CTL, DV, EDMC, HSH, JACK, JCP, JRCC, JWN, KGC, MDRX, MNST, MPEL, NOV, NVDA, RBN, RGLD, SPWR, STX, TOL, WEN

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — August 8, 2012: Markets Get No Energy Today (CBST, RAX, TSLA, PAY, GRPN, DMD, GEVO, PCLN, SZYM, AONE, ANR, CG, CSC, DF, DISH, HFC, M, WFR, RL, AFFY, CTL, CLR, EDMC, JACK, KGC, MNST, AUY, AAP, AMCX, CDTI, HSH, JRCC, RGLD, WEN, DF, SIRI, OWW)

Paul Ausick — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 20:05:16 +0000

The three major US stock indexes opened lower this morning following on softness in European markets and a mixed close in the Asian markets. There has been little data for investors to chew on over the last couple of days, so tomorrow’s report on new claims for unemployment benefits may carry more influence than usual, particularly if the number comes in lower than expected. Energy prices popped following the EIA’s weekly petroleum status report, but have since given back all the gain (more coverage here). Volumes were moderate today.

The US dollar index rose today, now up 0.23% at 82.401. The GSCI commodity index rose by about 1.1% to 657.51, with commodities prices mostly higher today. WTI crude oil fell -0.3% today, closing at $93.35/barrel. Brent crude trades up 0.14% at $112.16/barrel. Natural gas is down -0.9% today to $2.937/thousand cubic feet. Gold settled at $1,616.00/ounce, up 0.2% for the day.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up more than 7 points to 13,175.94 (0.06%), the NASDAQ fell nearly 5 points (-0.15%) to 3,011.25, and the S&P 500 rose 0.06% or less than 1 point to 1,402.22.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: CBST) started on ‘Conviction Buy List’ at Goldman Sachs; Rackspace Hosting Inc. (NYSE: RAX) raised to ‘buy’ at Jefferies; Tesla Motors Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) started as ‘neutral’ at BofA/ML; VeriFone Systems Inc. (NYSE: PAY) cut to ‘neutral’ at UBS; and Groupon Inc. (NASDAQ: GRPN) cut to ‘neutral’ at Sterne Agee.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: Demand Media Inc. (NYSE: DMD) is up 1.5% at $11.80 after posting a new 52-week high of $12.38 earlier today; Gevo Inc. (NASDAQ: GEVO) is down -4.8% at $3.67; Priceline.com (NASDAQ: PCLN) is down -17.2% at $562.85 (more coverage here); Solazyme Inc. (NASDAQ: SZYM) is down -7.7% at $12.58; A123 Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: AONE) is up 4.3% at $0.49; Alpha Natural Resources Inc. (NYSE: ANR) is down 9% at $6.28 (more coverage here); Carlyle Group LP (NASDAQ: CG) is down -2.3% at $23.91; Computer Sciences Corp. (NYSE: CSC) is up 15.6% at $29.50 (more coverage here); DISH Network Corp. (NASDAQ: DISH) is down -0.6% at $30.50 (more coverage here); HollyFrontier Corp. (NYSE: HFC) is down -0.9% at $39.08; Macy’s Inc. (NYSE: M) is up 2.5% at $37.94 (more coverage here); MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. (NYSE: WFR) is up 9.5% at $2.26 (more coverage here); and Ralph Lauren Corp. (NYSE: RL) is down -1.2% at $151.21 (more coverage here).

After markets close today we’re scheduled to hear from Affymax Inc. (NASDAQ: AFFY), CenturyLink Inc. (NYSE: CTL), Continental Resources Inc. (NYSE: CLR), Education Management Corp. (NASDAQ: EDMC), Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ: JACK), Kinross Gold Corp. (NYSE: KGC), Monster Beverage Corp. (NASDAQ: MNST), and Yamana Gold Inc. (NYSE: AUY).

Before markets open on Thursday we are scheduled to get earnings results from Advance Auto Parts Inc. (NYSE: AAP), AMC Networks Inc. (NASDAQ: AMCX), Clean Diesel Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: CDTI), Hillshire Brands Co. (NYSE: HSH), James River Coal Co. (NASDAQ: JRCC), Royal Gold Inc. (NASDAQ: RGLD), and The Wendy’s Co. (NASDAQ: WEN).

Some standouts from today include the following stocks:

Dean Foods Inc. (NYSE: DF) is up 39.7% at $17.35 after posting a new 52-week high of $17.49 earlier today. The grocery store chain smashed estimates and announced a spin-off. More coverage here.

Sirius XM Radio Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI) is up 8.3% at $2.49. The satellite radio company posted a new 52-week high today. More coverage here.

Orbitz Worldwide Inc. (NYSE: OWW) is down -26.8% at $3.41. The Internet travel company missed estimates and lowered guidance this morning.

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

8:30 a.m. – International trade data
8:30 a.m. – New claims for unemployment benefits
10:00 a.m. – Wholesale trade
10:30 p.m. – EIA weekly natural gas storage report
1:00 p.m. – 30-year bond auction
4:30 p.m. – Fed balance sheet and money supply

Paul Ausick

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: AAP, AFFY, AMCX, ANR, AONE, AUY, CBST, CDTI, CG, CLR, CSC, CTL, DF, DISH, DMD, EDMC, featured, GEVO, GRPN, HFC, HSH, JACK, JRCC, KGC, M, MNST, OWW, PAY, PCLN, RAX, RGLD, RL, SIRI, SZYM, TSLA, WEN, WFR

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (ADTN, AMCX, ADM, BBVA, BHP, CSIQ, CVX, DAL, FDO, FDX, HSH, JBLU, LXK, LDK, MRK, PG, RHT, LUV, SPWR, SVU, TSN, UAL, VLO, DIS)

Jon C. Ogg — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 12:29:43 +0000

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

ADTRAN Inc. (NASDAQ: ADTN) Cut to Hold at Stifel Nicolaus.

AMC Networks (NASDAQ: AMCX) Raised to Overweight at Barclays.

Archer Daniels Midland (NYSE: ADM) Cut to Equal-Weight at Morgan Stanley.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE: BBVA) Cut to Neutral at Credit Suisse.

BHP Billiton Ltd. (NYSE: BHP) Cut to Neutral at Credit Suisse.

Canadian Solar (NASDAQ: CSIQ) Raised to Overweight at Piper Jaffray.

Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) Raised to Neutral at JPMorgan.

Delta Air Lines Inc. (NYSE: DAL) Started as Sell at Goldman Sachs.

Family Dollar Stores Inc. (NYSE: FDO) Cut to Underperform at BofA/ML.

FedEx Corporation (NYSE: FDX) Started as Buy at Goldman Sachs.

Hillshire Brands (NYSE: HSH) Started as Outperform at Bernstein.

JetBlue Airways Corporation (NASDAQ: JBLU) Started as Neutral at Goldman Sachs.

Lexmark International (NYSE: LXK) Cut to Underweight at Barclays.

LDK Solar Co., Ltd. (NYSE: LDK) Cut to Underweight at Piuper Jaffray.

Merck & Co. (NYSE: MRK) Raised to Buy at Citigroup.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) named Bear of the Day at Zacks.

Red Hat, Inc. (NYSE: RHT) Cut to Perform at Oppenheimer.

Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) Started as Neutral at Goldman Sachs.

SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ: SPWR) Raised to Overweight at Piper Jaffray.

SUPERVALU Inc. (NYSE: SVU) Raised to Neutral from Sell at UBS; Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.

Tyson Foods Inc. (NYSE: TSN) Cut to Underweight at Morgan Stanley.

United Continental Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: UAL) Started as Sell at Goldman Sachs.

Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE: VLO) Started as Outperform at Wells Fargo.

The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) Raised to Outperform at Wells Fargo.

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: ADM, ADTN, AMCX, BBVA, BHP, CSIQ, CVX, DAL, DIS, FDO, FDX, HSH, JBLU, LDK, LUV, LXK, MRK, PG, RHT, SPWR, SVU, TSN, UAL, VLO

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (ORCL, NOV, MMM, TEVA, JDSU, AMCX, MT, HNR, KSS, WIN, DDS, JKS, PGR, SOL, URRE, MNST, WFR)

Paul Ausick — Thu, 10 May 2012 20:04:02 +0000

The major US stock indexes opened significantly higher this morning as investors were heartened by yesterday’s nationalization of Spain’s Bankia. The Bank of England also keps rates and asset purchases stable. This morning’s report on new US claims for unemployment benefits was in-line with expectations (our coverage here). US natural gas inventories rose last week, but the increase was also in-line with expectations (our coverage here).The US dollar index rose today, now up 0.01% at 80.077. The GSCI commodity index is down fractionally at 648.28, with commodities mostly higher on the small change in the dollar. WTI crude oil closed up 0.3% at $97.08/barrel and Brent crude trades down -0.37% at $112.78/barrel. Gold settled up 0.1% today, at $1,595.50/ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up nearly XX points to XXX (XX%), the NASDAQ rose more than XX points (XXX%) to XXX, and the S&P 500 rose XX% or nearly X points to XXX.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Oracle Corp. (NASDAQ: ORCL) cut to ‘hold’ at ThinkEquity; National Oilwell Varco Inc. (NYSE: NOV) maintained ‘buy’ with a lowered target price of $90 at Argus; 3M Co. (NYSE: MMM) cut to ‘market perform’ at Bernstein; Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd. (NASDAQ: TEVA) cut to ‘hold’ at Needham; and JDS Uniphase Corp. (NASDAQ: JDSU) raised to ‘buy’ at UBS.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: AMC Networks Inc. (NASDAQ: AMCX) is up 2.4% at $40.58; ArcelorMittal (NYSE: MT) is up 1.9% at $16.42; Harvest Natural Resources Inc. (NYSE: HNR) is down -1.6% at $5.71 after posting a new 52-week low of $5.44 earlier today; Kohl’s Corp. (NYSE: KSS) is down -4.6% at $48.52; and Windstream Corp. (NASDAQ: WIN) is down -10.3% at $10.10 after posting a new 52-week low of $9.42 earlier today.

On Friday we are scheduled to get earnings from Dillard’s Inc. (NYSE: DDS), Jinkosolar Holding Co. Ltd. (NYSE: JKS), Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ: NVDA), Progressive Corp. (NYSE: PGR), ReneSola Ltd. (NYSE: SOL), and Uranium Resources Inc. (NASDAQ: URRE).

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

Monster Beverage Corp. (NASDAQ: MNST) is up 9.2% at $71.34 in a 52-week range of $32.35-$83.96. The energy drinks company posted strong results, but buyout rumors continue to lead the charge. More coverage here.

MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. (NYSE: WFR) is down -24.3% at $2.46 after posting a new 52-week low of $2.41 earlier today. The solar component supplier posted bad results and a weak outlook. More coverage here.

We also took a detailed look today at short interest in a number of stocks — big names, volume leaders, and cult stocks.

Stay tuned for Friday. Dallas Fed President Richard Fisher is giving a speech. We have noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

8:30 a.m. – Producer price index
9:55 a.m. – Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment

Paul Ausick

Filed under: Active Trader, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: AMCX, DDS, HNR, JDSU, JKS, KSS, MMM, MNST, MT, NOV, ORCL, PGR, SOL, TEVA, URRE, WFR, WIN

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (AIG, COP, HSY, PSX, DMD, AOL, AGU, DTG, M, MPEL, TM, SODA, AMCX, MT, ESRX, MCP, JWN, NUAN, HNR, KSS, PEIX, CPWM, AMRS, ACI)

Paul Ausick — Wed, 09 May 2012 20:06:42 +0000

The major US stock indexes opened sharply lower again this morning as investors consider Greece’s commitment to the austerity measures it had previously agreed to. Renegotiating the deal seems out of the question (more coverage here) and there is even the threat that the EU will not pay the first tranche of the bailout deal when it is due tomorrow (more coverage here). US oil inventories rose last week, putting more pressure on prices today (more coverage here).The US dollar index rose today, now up 0.43% at 80.077. The GSCI commodity index is down -0.5% at 648.60, with commodities mixed on the stronger dollar. WTI crude oil closed down -0.5% at $96.71/barrel and Brent crude trades up 0.02% at $112.75/barrel. Gold settled down -0.6% today, at $1,594.20/ounce, the yellow metal’s first sub-$1,600/ounce closing since December.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down nearly 97 points to 12,835.44 (-0.75%), the NASDAQ fell more than11 points (-0.39%) to 2,934.71, and the S&P 500 fell 0.67% or more than 9 points to 1,354.61.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including American International Group Inc. (NYSE: AIG) raised to ‘buy’ at Goldman Sachs; ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) resumed as ‘neutral’ at Credit Suisse; The Hershey Co. (NYSE: HSY) raised to ‘buy’ at Argus; Phillips 66 (NYSE: PSX) started as ‘outperform’ at Credit Suisse; and Demand Media Inc. (NYSE: DMD) raised to ‘buy’ at Citigroup.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL) is up 3.8% at $26.55; Agrium Inc. (NYSE: AGU) is down -2.2% at $82.69 (more coverage here); Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group Inc. (NYSE: DTG) is up 0.2% at $80.68; Macy’s Inc. (NYSE: M) is down -3.6% at $38.07 (more coverage here); Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd. (NASDAQ: MPEL) is down -0.2% at $13.96; Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM) is up 3.1% at $80.58; and SodaStream International Ltd. (NASDAQ: SODA) is up 28% at $37.35.

On Wednesday we are scheduled to get earnings from AMC Networks Inc. (NASDAQ: AMCX), ArcelorMittal (NYSE: MT), Express Scripts Holding Co. (NASDAQ: ESRX), Molycorp Inc. (NYSE: MCP); Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN); Nuance Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: NUAN); Harvest Natural Resources Inc. (NYSE: HNR); Kohl’s Corp. (NYSE: KSS); and Pacific Ethanol Inc. (NASDAQ: PEIX).

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

Cost Plus Inc. (NASDAQ: CPWM) is up 21.9% at $21.92 after posting a new 52-week high earlier today. The company is being acquired by Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBY) for $495 million.

Amyris Inc. (NASDAQ: AMRS) is down -21.7% at $1.98 after posting a new 52-week low of $1.89 earlier today. The biofuels and biotech company posted much higher-than-expected shortfalls in both EPS and revenues.

Arch Coal Inc. (NYSE: ACI) is up 10.1% at $8.37. The coal miner had no news today, but investors are piling in at a very low price. Volume today topped 25 million shares, more than double Arch’s daily average.

Stay tuned for Thursday. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and Minneapolis Fed President Naryana Kocherlakota are giving speeches. We have noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

8:30 a.m. – International trade report
8:30 a.m. – New claims for unemployment benefits
10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly natural gas storage report
1:00 p.m. – 30-year note auction
2:00 p.m. – Treasury budget
4:30 p.m. – Federal Reserve balance sheet and money supply

Paul Ausick

Filed under: General Tagged: ACI, AGU, AIG, AMCX, AMRS, AOL, BBBY, COP, CPWM, DMD, DTG, ESRX, HNR, HSY, JWN, KSS, M, MCP, MPEL, MT, NUAN, PEIX, PSX, SODA, TM

Dish, AMC Squabble Heats Up (DISH, AMCX, CVC)

Paul Ausick — Fri, 04 May 2012 18:36:21 +0000

Subscribers to satellite TV service Dish Networks Inc. (NASDAQ: DISH) may no longer be able to enjoy such hit programming as “Mad Men,” “Breaking Bad,” and “The Walking Dead” due to a renewed battle between Dish and AMC Networks Inc. (NASDAQ: AMCX). The squabble started when AMC’s networks were part of Cablevision Systems Corp. (NYSE: CVC) and Dish agreed to carry Cablevision’s high-definition channels branded under the name ‘VOOM’. Cablevision spun-off AMC last year.

Dish agreed to broadcast the channels for 15 years, but stopped after just 3 years charging Cablevision with failing to support the new channels. Cablevision sued Dish for $2.5 billion.

The Wall Street Journal reports that in a pre-trial ruling, the court found that Dish had “in bad faith” destroyed e-mail evidence. Dish appealed the ruling twice and lost twice, most recently last week. The ‘VOOM’ channels were canceled in 2009.

Normally the threat to withdraw programming is a negotiating ploy when the content provider, in this case AMC, wants more money than the cable or satellite system wants to pay. This case is slightly different, though, given the rulings against Dish. This time Dish is no doubt hoping that AMC will drop the suit in exchange for Dish’s agreement to continue carrying the AMC channels, which include AMC, Sundance, IFC, and We TV. Problem is, Dish has a lot more to lose than AMC does.

Shares of Dish are down about -3% at $31.64 in a 52-week range of $20.89-$35.64. Shares of AMC are down -2.4% at $43.48 in a 52-week range of $29.66-$46.69.

Paul Ausick

Filed under: Cable Companies, Entertainment, Law, Media, Regulation, Satellite, TV Tagged: AMCX, CVC, DISH