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Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (MDRX, ANR, AMCX, AEO, BAC, CBRL, EMR, JNY, LDK, PERY, PCLN, R, HOT, SXC, VPRT)

Administrator — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 12:08:36 +0000

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

Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ: MDRX) Reiterated Buy with $27 target at Argus.
Alpha Natural Resources, Inc. (NYSE: ANR) Started as Neutral at JPMorgan.
AMC Networks Inc. (NASDAQ: AMCX) Started as Buy with $42 target at BofA/ML.
American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE: AEO) Cut to Hold at Citigroup.
Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC) Maintained Outperform with $14 target at Credit Suisse.
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBRL) Cut to Neutral at SunTrust.
Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE: EMR) Cut to Hold at Argus.
The Jones Group Inc. (NYSE: JNY) Raised to Buy with $14 target at BofA/ML.
LDK Solar Co., Ltd. (NYSE: LDK) Cut to Underperform at Wells Fargo.
Perry Ellis International (NASDAQ: PERY) Raised to Buy with $26 target at BofA/ML.
Priceline.com Inc. (NASDAQ: PCLN) Reiterated Outperform as Bull of the Day at Zacks.
Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE: R) named Value stock of the day at Zacks.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. (NYSE: HOT) Maintained Outperform but cut target to $64 at Credit Suisse.
SunCoke Energy Inc. (NYSE: SXC) Started as Outperform with $19 target at Credit Suisse.
VistaPrint NV (NASDAQ: VPRT) Cut to Neutral as Bear of the Day at Zacks.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: AEO, AMCX, ANR, BAC, CBRL, EMR, HOT, JNY, LDK, MDRX, PCLN, PERY, R, SXC, VPRT

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (ATML, CMA, CBRL, DNDN, DV, EDMC, GIS, GFI, IPSU, JNS, LPS, MTL, MHS, MPEL, QLTY, SIG, SIRI, VG, ZUMZ)

Administrator — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 12:07:27 +0000

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

Atmel Corporation (NASDAQ: ATML) Reiterated Buy and $17 target at Gleacher & Co.
Comerica Incorporated (NYSE: CMA) Reiterated Buy at BofA/ML.
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc. (NASDAQ: CBRL) Cut to Hold at Argus.
Dendreon Corporation (NASDAQ: DNDN) Started as Buy at Goldman Sachs.
DeVry, Inc. (NYSE: DV) Raised to Buy at BofA/ML.
Education Management Corporation (NASDAQ: EDMC) Raised to Neutral at BofA/ML.
General Mills, Inc. (NYSE: GIS) Cut to Neutral at UBS.
Gold Fields Ltd. (NYSE: GFI) Raised to Overweight at Morgan Stanley.
Imperial Sugar Co. (NASDAQ: IPSU) Raised to Buy with $30 target at Janney Capital.
Janus Capital Group Inc. (NYSE: JNS) Reiterated Underperform but cut target to $11 at BofA/ML.
Lender Processing Services, Inc. (NYSE: LPS) Cut to Underperform as Bear of the Day at Zacks.
Mechel OAO (NYSE: MTL) Started as Buy at UBS.
Medco Health Solutions Inc. (NYSE: MHS) Reiterated Buy with $69 target at Argus.
Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd. (NASDAQ: MPEL) Reiterated Buy and raised target to $13.30 at Citigroup.
Quality Distribution Inc. (NASDAQ: QLTY) Started as Neutral at Credit Suisse.
Signet Jewelers Limited (NYSE: SIG) Maintained Strong Buy as Value at Zacks.
SIRIUS XM Radio Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI) Raised to Outperform as Bull of the Day at Zacks.
Vonage Holdings Corporation (NYSE: VG) Started as Buy at Janco Partners (Wednesday).
Zumiez, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZUMZ) Cut to Neutral at Janney Capital.

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: ATML, CBRL, CMA, DNDN, DV, EDMC, GFI, GIS, IPSU, JNS, LPS, MHS, MPEL, MTL, QLTY, SIG, SIRI, VG, ZUMZ

Top Pre-Market analyst Upgrades (AUTH, CBRL, CAKE, DRI, KR, LGF, PNRA, PMC, VLTR)

247wallst — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 07:03:35 +0000

These are some of the top upgrades and positive calls we are seeing this Tuesday morning on Wall Street:

AuthenTec (AUTH) Started At Buy at Stanford Group.
CBRL Group (CBRL) Raised to Outperform at Raymond James.
Cheesecake Factory (CAKE) Raised to Outperform at Raymond James.
Darden Restaurants (DRI) Raised to Outperform at Raymond James.
Kroger (KR) Raised to Buy at Jefferies.
Lions Gate (LGF) Raised to Buy at Jefferies.
Panera Bread (PNRA) Raised to Outperform at Raymond James.
PharMerica (PMC) Started as Outperform at Oppenheimer.
Volterra Semiconductor (VLTR) Raised to Buy at Piper Jaffray.

Jon C. Ogg
October 21, 2008

Posted in Analyst Calls Tagged: AUTH, CAKE, CBRL, DRI, KR, LGF, PMC, PNRA, VLTR

Short Sellers Lighten Up On Growth Restaurant Chains (RRGB, PZZA, MSSR, BWLD, SBUX, CAKE, TXRH, CBRL, PFCB, PNRA)

247wallst — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 09:01:47 +0000

We’ve started seeing some of the recent emptier pockets of Joe Q. Consumer, and after a warning yesterday out of McCormick & Schmicks’s we wanted to see how some of the NASDAQ growth restaurant chains were doing as far as short sellers were concerned. Interstingly enough, of the ones we look at with regularity that get media coverage it seems like there is actually a drop in short selling from August to September. Below is a list of companies in the sector along with the shares short in September and a percentage change from the August count of the short interest:

Red Robin Gourmet (RRGB) 3.304M -1.13%
Papa John’s (PZZA) 2.245M -2.91%
McCormick & Schmick’s (MSSR) 1.497M -6.22%
Buffalo Wild Wings (BWLD) 3.293M -6.4%
Starbucks (SBUX) 25.725M -6.98%
Cheesecake factory (CAKE) 11.636M -7.55%
Texas Roadhouse (TXRH) 7.066M -7.93%
CBRL Group (CBRL) 4.727M -14.92%
P.F.Chang’s (PFCB) 7.051M +2.54%
Panera Bread (PNRA) 4.688M +7.91%

Here are some key related articles that may give added insight:

Jon C. Ogg
September 26, 2007

Cramer’s Restaurant Buyback Play (CBRL)

247wallst — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 17:14:40 +0000

On tonight’s MAD MONEY on CNBC, Jim Cramer noted about yesterday’s call for a pullback. His bounceback candidates were the FOUR HORSEMEN OF TECH and he still thinks that, but he has another he wants to look at:

CBRL Group, Inc. (CBRL), the parent of Cracker Barrel.

Cramer isn’t looking at the tapped out consumer as the reason. He thinks their own share buybacks of half of its stock was exhausted, but they just added another 1 million shares to the plan last week. Cramer thinks this stock deserves much more credit. He thinks a raised dividend shows it is in great shape and has consistent strong business.

We noted on this in the past about its Logan’s Roadhouse spin-off. Cramer called this a buyback stock to watch before. Other top Cramer picks of relevance:

TOP PICKS FOR 2007;
"Mortgage Madness" Portfolio;
His Top China Picks, with caution;
Warren Buffett reviews: Group1 and Group 2.

Jon C. Ogg
September 25, 2007

Jon Ogg produces the 24/7 Wall St., LLC Special Situation Investing Newsletter; he does not own securities in the companies he covers.

Cramer’s #3 & #2 Buybacks=Buyouts Picks

247wallst — Mon, 07 May 2007 17:28:19 +0000

Cramer has a new method for predicting takeovers. Four of the fourteen largest buybacks have either been taken over or have agreed to be taken over in the last few months. Cramer thinks the other 10 are great buyback targets as well. Cramer has 3 picks out of these 10. His #1 pick will be after the Lightning Round. He also said that he is only focusing on buyout candidates that he thinks are good all on their own.

Cigna (CI) is on the list but he’s already highlighted it recently. Sonic (SONC) and Cracker Barrel (CBRL) would have been on Cramer’s list except that he thinks they are too vulnerable to consumer spending and too vulnerable to higher gasoline prices.

The #3 pick is United Stationers (USTR-NASDAQ) which has bought back 20% of its outstanding shares. The company should have improving margins and there are only three analysts covering the stock.

The #2 pick is Brinks (BCO-NYSE) that bought back 21% of its stock. He thinks the fundamentals are great on this one. This one is a home security play and a play for securely transporting financial and luxury goods.

What is funny is that since Cramer hates ETF’s so much, he neglected to tell you about PowerShares Buyback Achievers Portfolio (AMEX:PKW). This is an ETF that actively invests in companies who are buying back shares. As far as which of these are good and bad, United Stationers is one that has many competitors that go through periods where they look good and bad. They are ultra-sensitive to economic cycles and business spending. But Brinks on the other hand is one that is solid. The stock is up on its 52-week highs, but here is thing: this company already transports massive amounts of luxury goods that the millionaires and billionaires already use. This one makes sense, and it would have been a perfect play for Berkshire Hathaway earlier if the size was larger than $3 Billion.

Jon C. Ogg
May 7, 2007

Jon Ogg can be reached at jonogg@247wallst.com; he does not own securities in any of the companies he covers.