24/7 Wall St. » ARBA

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (AMAT, ARBA, BX, CPLA, CHA, DELL, DNDN, EMC, FB, GMT, ICE, JAZZ, NDAQ, PCX, PG, SBUX, WY)

Administrator — Wed, 23 May 2012 12:22:37 +0000

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

Applied Materials Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT) Raised to Neutral at Goldman Sachs.

Ariba Inc. (NASDAQ: ARBA) Cut to Neutral at Goldman Sachs.

The Blackstone Group LP (NYSE: BX) Raised to Buy at Stern Agee.

Capella Education Co. (NASDAQ: CPLA) named Bear of the Day at Zacks.

China Telecom (NYSE: CHA) Raised to Outperform at Credit Suisse.

Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) Cut to Neutral at Mizuho; Maintained Underperform and target cut to $14 at Credit Suisse.

Dendreon Corporation (NASDAQ: DNDN) Started as Underperform at Jefferies; Maintained Hold with $11 target at Canaccord Genuity.

EMC Corp. (NYSE: EMC) Reiterated Buy with $36 target at Argus.

Facebook, Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) Started as Buy with $40 target at Needham.

GATX Corporation (NYSE: GMT) named Bull of the Day at Zacks.

IntercontinentalExchange, Inc. (NYSE: ICE) Raised to Buy at Deutsche Bank.

Jazz Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: JAZZ) Started as Outperform at Credit Suisse.

NASDAQ OMX Group (NASDAQ: NDAQ) Cut to Hold at Deutsche Bank.

Patriot Coal (NYSE: PCX) Cut to Hold at Deutsche Bank.

Procter & Gamble Co. (NYSE: PG) Reiterated Buy with $70 target at Argus.

Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX) Raised to Buy at BofA/ML.

Weyerhaeuser Co. (NYSE: WY) Started as Buy at Goldman Sachs.

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: AMAT, ARBA, BX, CHA, CPLA, DELL, DNDN, EMC, FB, GMT, ICE, JAZZ, NDAQ, PCX, PG, SBUX, WY

Media Digest (5/23/2012) Reuters, WSJ, FT, Bloomberg

247wallst — Wed, 23 May 2012 10:31:38 +0000

Merkel and Hollande will fight over stimulus for the eurozone at the EU summit. (Reuters)

The OECD expresses concerns that Europe could slip into a deep recession. (Reuters)

The EU debt crisis pushes global shares lower. (Reuters)

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) cuts its Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) ratings just before the IPO. (Reuters)

Sony (NYSE: SNE) and Samsung try to get retailers to discount their TVs less. (WSJ)

AOL’s (NYSE: AOL) Patch local website project continues to draw the ire of investors. (WSJ)

The Congressional Budget Office says that gridlock in DC could cause a recession in 2013. (WSJ)

SAP (NYSE: SAP) will buy Ariba (NASDAQ: ARBA) for $4.3 billion. (WSJ)

South Korea will continue to import oil from Iran despite U.S. and EU sanctions over the Iran weapon’s program. (WSJ)

The International Monetary Fund says the UK needs to create stimulus programs. (WSJ)

Dell’s (NASDAQ: DELL) earnings are hurt as it attempts to move beyond PCs as its major line of sales. (WSJ)

Ford’s (NYSE: F) credit rating is upgraded from “junk” status. (WSJ)

CalSTRS, the second-largest U.S. public pension fund, will vote against Walmart (NYSE: WMT) directors in the wake of a bribery scandal. (FT)

EU banks would be damaged if Greece leaves the eurozone, as they have almost $1.2 trillion in debt from Spain, Portugal, Italy and Ireland. (FT)

Mazda and Fiat to build a sports car. (Bloomberg)

Douglas A. McIntyre

Filed under: Press Digest Tagged: AOL, ARBA, DELL, F, FB, MS, SAP, SNE, WMT

B2B Focus Returns: SAP Acquiring Ariba (SAP, ARBA, ORCL)

Administrator — Tue, 22 May 2012 19:16:11 +0000

If you recall the term B2B, you are going back a decade and then some as far as internet companies. Ariba, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARBA) was one of the key business-to-business platform builders. Now SAP AG is acquiring Ariba as the company moves further to compete against Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ: ORCL) and other enterprise software players.

The companies announced that SAP America has entered into an agreement to acquire Ariba for its cloud-based business commerce network at a price of $45.00 per share. This generates and enterprise value (equity and debt) of about $4.3 billion. The Ariba board of directors has already approved the transaction unanimously and the buyout represents a 20% premium over the May 21 closing price.

Today’s acquisition will combine Ariba’s buyer-seller collaboration network with SAP’s customer base and business process expertise “to create new models for business-to-business collaboration in the cloud.”

SAP is worth almost $70 billion in market value and its $58.77 share price for ADRs compares to a 52-week range of $47.39 to $72.52. Ariba shares were up 0.8% at $37.96 before being halted and the 52-week range is $21.90 to $40.45. With Thomson Reuters having a consensus estimate of $0.99 EPS for 2012, SAP is effectively paying 45-times earnings for Ariba.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Business Services, Internet, Mergers and Buy Outs, Software Tagged: ARBA, ORCL, SAP

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (AEO, AAPL, ARBA, BHP, CASY, CHU, FFIV, GOL, HPQ, KMT, ODFL, SAP, GAME, SILC, SPRD, SNCR)

Administrator — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 12:25:12 +0000

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

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE: AEO) Raised to Neutral from Sell at Lazard.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) Maintained Overweight at JPMorgan; Maintained Outperform at Credit Suisse; Maintained Buy at BofA/ML.
Ariba Inc. (NASDAQ: ARBA) Reiterated Hold at Argus.
BHP Billiton Ltd. (NYSE: BHP) Raised to Buy at Societe Generale.
Casey’s General Stores Inc. (NASDAQ: CASY) Raised to Buy at BofA/ML.
China Unicom (NYSE: CHU) Raised to Outperform at Credit Suisse.
F5 Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV) Raised to Buy at Stifel Nicolaus.
Gol Linhas Aereas (NYSE: GOL) named Bear of the Day at Zacks.
Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ) Cut to Sector Perform at RBC.
Kennametal Inc. (NYSE: KMT) Started as Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. (NASDAQ: ODFL) named Value stock of the day at Zacks.
SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) Started as Buy at RBS.
Shanda Games Limited (NASDAQ: GAME) Raised to Buy at Deutsche Bank.
Silicom, Ltd. (NASDAQ: SILC) named Bull of the Day at Zacks.
Spreadtrum Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: SPRD) Reiterated Buy and Raised target to $25 at BofA/ML.
Synchronoss Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNCR) Raised to Outperform at Baird.

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: AAPL, AEO, ARBA, BHP, CASY, CHU, FFIV, GAME, GOL, HPQ, KMT, ODFL, SAP, SILC, SNCR, SPRD

24/7 Wall St. Top 10 Analyst Calls of the Week (ALU, AWK, AAPL, ARBA, CTL, GOOG, GOV, HFC, LRCX, WSM)

Administrator — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 14:44:47 +0000

24/7 Wall St. generally reports on ten to fifteen analyst calls each morning as the top analyst calls of the day, but after we go through these at the end of the week there are always some research calls which standout above and beyond the others. Not all calls are positive, and some are very cautious. Some are just very wrong, and others offer more insight than you see in other calls. This week’s top analyst calls were in shares of Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU); American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE: AWK); Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL); Ariba Inc. (NASDAQ: ARBA); CenturyLink Inc. (NYSE: CTL); Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG); Government Properties Income Trust (NYSE: GOV); HollyFrontier Corporation (NYSE: HFC); Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ: LRCX); and Williams-Sonoma Inc. (NYSE: WSM).

We have added in the price action and impact of calls, and also added in color on the situation and included more consensus data if relevant.

Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) had a rough week as tech stocks in equipment got off to a rough start for this earnings season. Deutsche Bank cut its rating to Hold from Buy, taking shares from $5.58 to $5.36 on the call, but ultimately taking shares down to a low of $5.00 during the week before it closed out the week at $5.09. That is nearly 10% lower for the call’s impact all together, and it needs to be considered that this former dog is still up more than 50% in 2011.

American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE: AWK) is a company that 24/7 Wall St. has been very positive on for quite some time. It is one of our Top Stocks To Own For The Decade. Around $29.50, its consensus target is $31.60 and the highest official target is $38.00. We think $35 is a fair value for 2012, but one call in water came out this week that really highlighted value above and beyond what we and above and beyond what Wall Street thinks… Gabelli highlighted a recent asset swap for the operating efficiencies and rate recognition, yet it gave a private market value foe 2011 of $44 and the report actually gave a $46 private market value for 2012. This is above and beyond our bullish stance on the greatest water utility in America.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) is set to report earnings this week, but one of its larger bulls has trimmed shipment, earnings and revenue targets ahead of earnings. Gabelli maintained a “Buy” but lowered estimates under consensus.

Ariba Inc. (NASDAQ: ARBA) was given a very positive research initiation call, but one which did not get off to a good start. Barclays initiated coverage this last Monday with a “Buy” rating and a $44 price target as the B2B platform leader is expected to gain market share. Shares went out the prior week at $36.72 and ended up down at $34.31 on the week. This is not a cheap stock by any real measurement. The $44 target is now the street-high call and the consensus price target is only $36.70.

CenturyLink Inc. (NYSE: CTL) just announced the closure of its Savvis acquisition and it has already closed on its Qwest acquisition. The company offers a high yield for investors and at $38.42 it is well under the 52-week high of $46.87. It also trades at just under 15-times this year’s expected earnings. Friday came word that this was downgraded to Underperform as the dubious “Bear of the Day” call at Zacks.

Filed under: Analyst Calls, The Week Tagged: AAPL, ALU, ARBA, AWK, CTL, GOOG, GOV, HFC, LRCX, WSM

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (ALTR, MT, ADM, ARBA, BSX, CX, CSCO, FOSL, GOV, HON, KLAC, LRCX, M, PETS, TNK, TJX, WFM)

Administrator — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 12:11:39 +0000

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

Altera Corporation (NASDAQ: ALTR) Raised to Outperform as Bull of the Day at Zacks.
Arcelor Mittal (NYSE: MT) Raised to Buy at BofA/ML.
Archer Daniels Midland Inc. (NYSE: ADM) maintained Outperform but cut target to $35 at Credit Suisse.
Ariba Inc. (NASDAQ: ARBA) Started as Overweight at Barclays.
Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) Reiterated Hold but cut estimates at Argus.
CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE: CX) Cut to Underperform at Credit Suisse.
Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) Reiterated Buy with $24 target at Argus.
Fossil, Inc. (NASDAQ: FOSL) Raised to Overweight at JPMorgan.
Government Properties Income Trust (NYSE: GOV) Cut to Underperform at Wells Fargo.
Honeywell International Inc. (NYSE: HON) Reiterated Buy at BofA/ML.
KLA-Tencor Corporation (NASDAQ: KLAC) Raised to Hold at Citigroup.
Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ: LRCX) Raised to Buy at Citigroup.
Macy’s, Inc. (NYSE: M) Reiterated Buy as Value at Zacks.
PetMed Express, Inc. (NASDAQ: PETS) Maintained Underperform as Bear of the Day at Zacks.
Teekay Tankers Limited (NYSE: TNK) Cut to Neutral at BofA/ML.
The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TJX) Raised to Overweight at Barclays.
Whole Foods Market, Inc. (NASDAQ: WFM) Raised to Buy at Goldman Sachs.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: ADM, ALTR, ARBA, BSX, CSCO, CX, FOSL, GOV, HON, KLAC, LRCX, M, MT, PETS, TJX, TNK, WFM

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (AIG, ARBA, COG, CSL, CBOE, CLX, DNDN, EBAY, GPS, HIT, KCG, LBTYA, MRVL, MSFT, ONXX, PRU, QNST, SPWRA, VZ)

Administrator — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 12:30:48 +0000

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

American International Group, Inc. (NYSE: AIG) Started as Neutral at Goldman Sachs.
Ariba Inc. (NASDAQ: ARBA) Reiterated Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Cabot Oil & Gas (NYSE: COG) Raised to Buy at Canaccord Genuity.
Carlisle Companies (NYSE: CSL) Reiterated Strong Buy as Value at Zacks.
CBOE Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBOE) Cut to Sell at Goldman Sachs.
Clorox Corporation (NYSE: CLX) Cut to UNderweight at Morgan Stanley.
Dendreon Corporation (NASDAQ: DNDN) Maintained Buy and $62 target at Needham.
eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) Raised to Outperform at Pac-Crest.
Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) Cut to Equal-weight at Barclays.
Hitachi Ltd. (NYSE: HIT) Raised to Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Knight Capital Group Inc. (NYSE: KCG) Raised to Buy at Goldman Sachs.
Liberty Global, Inc. (NASDAQ: LBTYA) Raised to Outperform at Bull of the Day at Zacks.
Marvell Technology Group Ltd. (NASDAQ: MRVL) Started as Buy at Auriga.
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) Reiterated Hold at Argus.
Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ONXX) maintained Buy but cut target to $48 at Canaccord Genuity.
Prudential Financial. Inc. (NYSE: PRU) Reiterated Outperform at Credit Suisse.
QuinStreet, Inc. (NASDAQ: QNST) Cut to Neutral at BofA/ML.
SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ: SPWRA) Cut to Underperform at Needham; Cut to Hold at Jefferies.
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) Raised to Outperform at Oppenheimer.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: AIG, ARBA, CBOE, CLX, COG, CSL, DNDN, EBAY, GPS, HIT, KCG, LBTYA, MRVL, MSFT, ONXX, PRU, QNST, SPWRA, VZ

Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades (APSG, MT, ARBA, ARMH, ATW, CEDC, CIEN, CRUS, FNGN, GMCR, MEE, PSA, SNDK, SOLF, TER)

Administrator — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 13:19:39 +0000

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

Applied Signal Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: APSG) Cut to Hold at Stifel Nicolaus.
ArcelorMittal (NYSE: MT) Cut to Neutral at UBS.
Ariba Inc. (NASDAQ: ARBA) Raised to Buy at Roth Capital.
ARM Holdings plc (NASDAQL: ARMH) Started as Sell at Societe Generale.
Atwood Oceanics, Inc. (NYSE: ATW) Cut to Market Perform at Wells Fargo.
Central European Distribution Corp. (NASDAQ: CEDC) Started as Buy at Goldman Sachs.
Ciena Corp. (NASDAQ: CIEN) Raised to Overweight at Barclays.
Cirrus Logic Inc. (NASDAQ: CRUS) Raised to Buy at Jefferies.
Financial Engines, Inc. (NASDAQ: FNGN) Started as Buy at Needham.
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR) Raised to Buy at BofA/ML.
Massey Energy Co. (NYSE: MEE) Cut to Market Perform at FBR.
Public Storage (NYSE: PSA) Raised to Buy at UBS.
SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) Raised to Outperform at Baird.
Solarfun Power Holdings Co., Ltd. (NASDAQ: SOLF) Raised to Buy at Auriga.
Teradyne Inc. (NYSE: TER) Raised to Buy at Citi.

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

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: APSG, ARBA, ARMH, ATW, CEDC, CIEN, CRUS, FNGN, GMCR, MEE, MT, PSA, SNDK, SOLF, TER

Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades (AMZN, AMLN, ARBA, HAL, JASO, JKS, SOL, RIMM, STP, SWSI)

Administrator — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 12:02:12 +0000

These are some of the top analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen from Wall Street research early this Monday:

Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) Cut to Neutral at Susquehanna.
Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMLN) Raised to Market Perform at BMO.
Ariba Inc. (NASDAQ: ARBA) Cut to Hold at Roth Capital.
Halliburton Co. (NYSE: HAL) Raised to Outperform at Macquarie.
JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd. (NASDAQ: JASO) Started as Buy at Goldman Sachs.
JinkoSolar Holding Co. (NYSE: JKS) Started as Buy at Auriga.
ReneSola Ltd. (NYSE: SOL) Cut to Sell at Goldman Sachs.
Research in Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ: RIMM) Raised to Outperform at Raymond James.
Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. (NYSE: STP) Started as Sell at Goldman Sachs.
Superior Well Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: SWSI) Raised to Outperform at Macquarie.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: AMLN, AMZN, ARBA, HAL, JASO, JKS, RIMM, SOL, STP, SWSI

Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades (AYR, ARBA, AFFY, AIPC, BIG, BVF, ETR, FTI, LNCR, NOV, RYAAY)

Administrator — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 12:35:18 +0000

These are some of this Tuesday’s top analyst calls with upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen in Wall Street research notes:

Aircastle Ltd. (NYSE: AYR) Started as Outperform at Wells Fargo.
Ariba Inc. (NASDAQ: ARBA) Raised to Overweight at JPMorgan.
Affymax, Inc. (NASDAQ: AFFY) Cut to Market Weight at Thomas Weisel.
American Italian Pasta Co. (NASDAQ: AIPC) Cut to Neutral at Janney; Cut to Hold at BB&T Capital.
Big Lots Inc. (NYSE: BIG) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.
Biovail Corporation (NYSE: BVF) Cut to Neutral at Piper Jaffray.
Entergy Corporation (NYSE: ETR) Cut to Neutral at Citigroup.
FMC Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: FTI) Raised to Buy at Citigroup.
Lincare Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: LNCR) Raised to Buy at Deutsche Bank.
National Oilwell Varco, Inc. (NYSE: NOV) Cut to Hold at Citigroup.
Ryanair Holdings plc (NASDAQ: RYAAY) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: AFFY, AIPC, ARBA, AYR, BIG, BVF, ETR, FTI, LNCR, NOV, RYAAY