Posts for Ticker ‘CVS’

Top 10 Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades, Initiations (ABC, ASML, CAH, CVS, ESRX, INTC, MRVL, MHS, SOLF, TXN)

These are this Thursday’s top ten analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen in Wall Street research calls:

AmerisourceBergen (NYSE: ABC) Started as Buy at UBS.
ASML (NASDAQ: ASML) Cut to Neutral at B of A Merrill Lynch.
Cardinal Health (NYSE: CAH) Started as Buy at UBS.
CVS Caremark (NYSE: CVS) Started as Buy at UBS.
Express Scripts (NASDAQ: ESRX) Started as Buy at UBS.
Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) Cut to Neutral at B of A Merrill Lynch.
Marvell Technology Group (NASDAQ: MRVL) Cut to Neutral at B of A Merrill Lynch.
MedcoHealth Solutions Inc. (NYSE: MHS) Started as Buy at UBS.
Solarfun (NASDAQ: SOLF) Raised to Outperform at Oppenheimer.
Texas Instruments Inc. (NYSE: TXN) Cut to Neutral at B of A Merrill Lynch.

You can join our open email distribution list to hear more news on key analyst calls, top day trader alerts, mergers and acquisitions, Buffett and other investment gurus, IPOs, secondary offerings, private equity, and more.

JON C. OGG

Media Digest 11/6/2009 Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg

newspaperReuters:   The Wall St. insider trading probe lead to another 14 arrests.

Reuters:   Fannie Mae (NYSE:FNM) lost $19 billion and asked Treasury for money.

Reuters:   GM is readying its plans for Opel as some of its workers went on strike.

Reuters:   The pay czar says the jury is still out on reforms. Read More »

The 100 Hardest Working Brands In The World

hersheyThere are a number of ways to rank brand values. One of the most important is the level at which a brand contributes to the market value of a public company.

24/7 Wall St. asked Corebrand, the brand research and consulting firm, to look at the top 100 brands based their contribution to market capitalizaton. Using this method, the hardest working brand was Hershey (NYSE:HSY), followed  by Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) and Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG)

Corebrand described the process briefly to 24/7 Wall. St.

24/7 Wall St.: Corebard often refers to the brands on this list as the”hardest working brands”. How did you come to that description?

Corebrand: There are a lot of people measuring and examining the “strongest brands” or the “most valuable brands”.  Our opinion is that examining one without the other is somewhat meaningless.  How “strong” a brand is nice to know but not very relevant unless you understand how that strength benefits business.  Similarly, “value” is little more than a measure of corporate size unless you understand the drivers of that value and how to influence it. By examining the strength of the brand and it’s contribution to total market value, we can help companies and their leadership manage that strength and value over time.

24/7 Wall St.: Is there any advantage or disadvantage to having a brand value be a very large percentage of market cap in the present and as an indication of a company’s future performance?

Corebrand: The brand will need to be in balance with the rest of the company’s assets.  A company should strive to have it’s brand strong enough to fend off competitors or changing market conditions but not so strong that it becomes overly dependent on the brand as a single driver of value.  If a company can achieve and maintain its appropriate maximum strength without becoming over-dependent, it will see greater returns in bull markets and retain greater value in bear markets.

The list: Read More »

Top Analyst Upgrades (ACOR, CCE, CREE, CVS, ICE, SVVS)

These are the top pre-market analyst upgrades and positive research calls we have seen from Wall Street early this Wednesday morning:

Acorda Therapeutics (ACOR) Raised to Overweight at Piper Jaffray.
Coca-Cola Entertainment (CCE) Raised to Buy at Argus.
Cree (CREE) Raised to Buy at Merriman Curhan Ford.
CVS Caremark (CVS) Raised to Outperform at William Blair.
IntercontinentalExchange (ICE) Raised to Market Perform at KBW.
Savvis (SVVS) Raised to Overweight at Morgan Stanley.

JON C. OGG
AUGUST 5, 2009

Media Digest 5/13/2009 Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg

newspaperReuters : Intel (INTC) said its results are running better than expected.

Reuters :  The government is looking at a pay overhaul in the financial sector.

Reuters: Economic woes are hurting the Medicare and Social Security trust funds.

Reuters: The Chrysler bankruptcy may take two years. Read More »

Media Digest 5/6/2009 Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg

newspaper9According to Reuters, Bank of America (BAC) will have to raise billions of dollars.

Reuters reports that a judge has approved a quick auction of Chrysler assets over the objections of creditors.

Reuters reports that the US will give banks guidelines for conditions for paying back TARP funds.

Reuters reports that more than one in five homes in the US is “underwater.” Read More »

Companies That Won’t Make It Through 2009 (HMC)(SIRI)(AIG)(FRE)(FNM)(RAD)(NYT)(NT)(PIR)(CHTR)(HOV)

AngrybearA lot of fairly well-known public companies either disappeared or went bankrupt this year. Circuit City is on the list. Based on the most recent news GM may get added soon.

24/7 Wall St. looked at some of the largest and most well-known companies, reviewed their SEC filings if they are public, analyst reports, and media observations about their businesses and picked ten that probably won’t be around at the end of next year. That does not mean that their brands will disappear, but these companies will have been dissolved as the world knows them now or working though the court system in the hopes of getting Chapter 11 protection and a chance at survival.

Read More »

10 CEOs To Go In 2009: Mary Sammons of Rite Aid (RAD, WAG, CVS)

Reverse stock split or not, Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE: RAD) has been under the gun and its future is far from certain.  There was a period in time in 2007 when it looked like the investor boat was going to be turned for the better.  But that is in the past and the current climate does not bode well for independent standalone retail companies (even drugstores).  Chairman & CEO Mary Sammons was deemed as a good fit and was probably within view of the home stretch of the turnaround finish line.  But then the rug was yanked out from under the company’s feet.  You might be able to argue that the company pulled the rug out from under its own feet this time, and now the economy weakening rapidly may only act further against it.

Read More »

Longs Merger Plot Thickens (LDG, WAG, CVS)

Longs_logoLongs Drug Stores Corporation (NYSE: LDG) is doing something which may seem odd to many, which is essentially a "going with the bird in the hand" strategy.  The company has just announced that its board of directors has determined not to have buyout discussions with Walgreens (NYSE: WAG).  This was after consultation with its legal and financial advisors.  Walgreens had sent Longs an expression of interest that was announced on September 12.

Read More »

Can Longs Buyout Save Drug Store Sector? (LDG, CVS, RAD, WAG)

Cvs_logoLongs Drug Stores Corporation (NYSE: LDG) is trading way up this morning after last night’s announcement that CVS Caremark Corporation (NYSE: CVS) will acquire the company.  In a definitive agreement reached, Longs will receive $71.50 per share in cash in the buyout.  After the assumption of debt and items, this buyout is valued at roughly $2.9 Billion.

Read More »

Media Digest 8/13/2008 Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg

NewspaperAccording to Reuters, Goldman Sachs (GS) will buy $1.5 billlion in assets from ABN.

Reuters reports that Ford’s (F) new plans will not change because of the fall in gas prices.

Reuters writes that GM (GM) will crack down on healthcare coverage.

Reuters reports that Yahoo! (YHOO) has added new board members to complete a deal with Icahn.

Read More »

Big Retails Which May Close Or Downsize (CC)(BBI)(PIR)(CPWM)

CircuitcityIt is now no secret that we are in a very weak economic environment and if it is not an official recession it is for about 80% of the country.  We’ve already seen some retailers collapse entirely or at least fall into the restructuring chapters that protect the company from liquidation.  Among these are Sharper Image, Lillian Vernon, Mervyn’s, Ames, Harvey Electronics, Good Guys, Levitz, Bombay, Movie Gallery, Tweeter, and other former modest-sized retailers which have filed to shield themselves from creditors.

There are several larger retailers that are in real trouble. Some are at risk for bankruptcy and each of them could have to cut operations so much that their revenue would be a fraction of what it is now.

Read More »

Top Pre-Market Analyst Upgrades (ADBE, APC, APSG, CENX, CRDN, CVS, DRI, GOOG, QCOM, STLD, SPWR, YUM)

There seemed to be more upgrades this morning than there were downgrades from Wall Street analysts.  Here is a snapshot of some of our key analyst calls we saw:

  • Adobe Systems (NASDAQ: ADBE) Started as Outperform at Credit Suisse.
  • Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE: APC) Raised to Outperform from Perform at Wachovia.
  • Applied Signal Tech (NASDAQ: APSG) Raised to Outperform at FBR.
  • Century Aluminum (NASDAQ: CENX) Raised to Outperform at FBR.
  • Ceradyne (NASDAQ: CRDN) Raised to Outperform at FBR.
  • CVS Caremark (NYSE: CVS) Started as Buy at Jefferies.
  • Darden Restaurants (NYSE: DRI) Started as Buy at Banc of America.
  • Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) started as Buy at Deutsche Bank.
  • Microsoft (N ASDAQ: MSFT) Started as Outperform at Credit Suisse.
  • Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM) Added to Goldman Sachs Conviction Buy List.
  • Steel Dynamics (NASDAQ: STLD) Raised to Buy from Neutral at Citigroup.
  • Sunpower Corp. (NASDAQ: SPWR) Raised To Neutral from Underperform at Merrill Lynch.
  • Yum Brands (NYSE: YUM) Started as Buy at Banc of America.

Jon C. Ogg
July 11, 2008

Why is CVS Buying $2 Billion of its Stock? (CVS, WAG, RAD)

CVS Caremark Corp. (NYSE: CVS) has announced that the company will buy back up to $2 Billion worth of common stock from time to time in the open markets during 2008 and 2009.  The company believes this will enhance shareholder returns.

While some buybacks are great, this one seems so odd that it may even be counterintuitive.  The company has been the darling of pharmacy stocks compared to Walgreen Co. (NYSE: WAG), and Rite Aid Corp. (NYSE: RAD) has been left so far behind that it hasn’t ever been able to mount an effective turnaround this entire decade.  It scored a huge win with its acquisition of Caremark Rx to become a huge pharmacy benefit manager.  The stock is also within sniffing distance of its 52-week highs and shares are up close to 200% over the last 5-years.

Is there a significant slowdown happening on the retail side there in pharmacies?  The answer is yes or at least some, but pharmacies have the benefit of being located close to many homes in neighborhoods and they have the benefit that many consumers go there for their pharmaceutical and general healthcare and personal hygiene products.  While people may spend less during hard times, many of those products still have to sell regardless of the economy. These aren’t recession-proof, but they should hold up better than mid-tier purses and mid-tier clothing retailers.

But this could also be a signal from the company that the bulk of its post-merger benefits have been realized.  Unfortunately, we won’t know about that until more time passes.  We don’t want to speculate on whether or not CVS thinks its growth is going to peter out in 2008 and 2009, but the timing of this $2 Billion cushion just seems odd.  This would represent about 3 and a half days worth of trading volume.

Shares of CVS have gained to be up 0.5% at $42.90 today after the news.  Its 52-week trading range is $34.80 to $43.75, and its market cap is roughly $61 Billion.

Jon C. Ogg
May 21, 2008

Cramer Calls A Bottom & Gives Play Book Picks (C, CVS, COST, GES, JCG, IBM, DD)

On tonight’s MAD MONEY on CNBC, Jim Cramer said emphatically that the huge drop today followed by the monster rally in the same day is a classic bottoming pattern, although he thinks that the move was too quick and he wouldn’t be surprised if we pull back over the next couple of days.  When you see the action like this the financial stocks and the retailers that have been the most bettered become the best places to jump in.  Here are his play book picks from retail stocks and financial stocks as the sector rotation trades comes into play:

  • Cramer went out and said he believes that Citigroup (NYSE: C) has actually bottomed. 
  • The retail stocks aren’t just bought by short covering trades, and he thinks that is real buying.  The companies he speedily announced that he likes are CVS Caremark (NYSE: CVS), Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ: COST), Guess? (NYSE: GES), and J. Crew Group (NYSE: JCG). 

He also wants to pick stocks with no earnings risk that have already pre-announced better earnings:

  • IBM (NYSE: IBM) and DuPont (NYSE: DD) are his two picks that are the safest industrials to buy on pullbacks during the bottoming cycle.  Both pulled back but they’d both be higher if the market had been normal.  he wants to buy these on pullbacks.

Last week Cramer went value fishing for technology companies that he thought were either overlooked during the meltdown or that had been oversold.  Here were his picks then:

Jon C. Ogg
January 23, 2008

NYSE Short Interet In Financial Shares Climbs

Short interest on January 15 showed bets against financial shares listed on the NYSE climbed when compared to December 31 numbers.

Shares short in Countrywide Financial (CFC) rose 32.5 million to 166.9 million. Shares sold short in Washington Mutual (WM) moved up 37.5 million to 129.9 million. Shares short in Wachovia (WB) moved up 15.4 million to 81.7 million.

Shares short in some tech and telecom stocks fell. Short interest in IBM (IBM) dropped 4.7% to 12.9 million. Shares sold short in Qwest (Q) dropped 4.4 million to 84.5 million. Shares short in Verizon (VZ) dropped 2 million to 29 million.

Largest Short Positions.

Company                                         Shares Sold Short

Countrywide                                     166.9 million shares short

Ford (F)                                           154.7 million

Washington Mutual                           129.9 million

AMD (AMD)                                       91.8 million

Qwest                                               84.5 million

Wells Fargo (WFC)                            84.1 million

Wachovia                                          81.7 million

Micron (MU)                                      76.9 million

Home Depot (HD)                              70.7 million

Largest Increases In Share Sold Short

Company                                          Increase In Shares Short

Washington Mutual                           37.7 million share increase

Countrywide                                     32.5 million

Ford                                                16.1 million

Wachovia                                         15.3 million

SLM (SLM)                                      13.5 million

AMD                                               12.6 million

Largest Decrease In Shares Sold Short

Company                                         Decrease In Shares Short

GE (GE)                                          6.4 million decrease in shares short

Best Buy (BBY)                               5.7 million decrease

CVS (CVS)                                     5.0 miillion

IBM (IBM)                                       4.7 million

Qwest                                            4.4 million

Data from NYSE and WSJ

Douglas A. McIntyre    

Backward & Forward, Cramer In 2007 To 2008

2007 was one volatile year and for now it appears that will be the norm for at least the start of 2008.  Everyone’s favorite market pundit or least liked pundit is obviously Jim Cramer.  If you love Cramer or can’t stand him it really doesn’t matter.  He signed a new multi-year deal with CNBC recently.  Here are some of his major calls this year that will still be referred to in 2008:

Here were Cramer’s TOP 9 STOCKS FOR 2007, with a call broken down for each one.  Borat would say HI FIVE on some and NOT SO NICE on others, as would be expected.  Cramer’s 14,582 year-end DJIA target…..Friday’s close was 13,365.87……although we did hit 14,279.96 on OCT11, 2007.  Cramer also gave a batch of price targets on most of theDJIA components:

Cramer’s Stock Picks FOR 5-YEARS OUT:

SOME LISTS: His list of recession proof stocks compared to ours.  We are updating our
Defensive Stocks For The First Half Of 2008" currently.  Cramer gave a huge list of companies he expects to benefit from the alternative energy traders (SGR, FWLT, BWA, OMG, FSLR, FTEK, WFR, TTEK, ZOLT, BP, SPWR, CY, CPST, ITRI)… Jim Cramer pondered which US companies China would want to acquire, about 3 months before sovereign funds started buying into US companies.  Cramer’s mortgage winners and losers…… Here were his MAJOR BULL MARKET STOCK PICKS(MHS, CVS, AGN, CELG, GENZ, CEPH, RIG, HAL, EMR, CAT, CMI, UTX, KO,PEP, CL, GS, SKS, VFC, UNP, CSX, BA), some of which are DJIAcomponents.  Cramer produced a "MUST OWN" list of stocks, many of whichare up significantly and some are down (WHR, BDK, ATI, BGC, HON, ASD, JCI, MDR, FWLT, CAT, TEX, DE, QCOM)

Cramer spent lots of time on International stocks that most US investors might not cover on their own.  He made a big call on Mercadolibre (MELI) (also BIDU, GOOG) with some emphasis on buying immediately, right before it made a huge run up.  Cramer’s Hidden Video Game Investment Perfect World (PWRD, ATVI, ERTS, VIA) was one he said could run more than 50% for 2008.  Cramer made 5 TOP CHINESE PICKS (CEO, CHL, SSW, FMCN, BIDU, GMR).  We’ll see in 2008 if any of his Canadian OIL TRUSTS get acquired in 2008 (BTE, CNE, PGH, PVX, PWE, AAV, GDI).  Cramer also went over his top picks from Europe for American investors (TOT, SI, ABB, PHG, BF)

ON TECHNOLOGY:  Cramer’s NEW HORSEMEN OF TECH…. will the list change in 2008???  Did Cramer Say $1,000.00 on Google, Or Is It $600.00? That was in May 2007.  Cramer Gave Monster Price targets to Baidu.com (BIDU, GOOG).. will these targets change in 2008? Cramer was very positive on all the GPS stocks,although we’d expect that Cramer will change his tune in 2008 now thatthe holiday madness is behind us (GRMN, UA, CROX, NVT, TRMB, SIRF).

Would it be fair not to include the Barron’s attack on Cramer from summer for those of you that criticize his every word?

ON WARREN BUFFETT…. Cramer noted that BROOKFIELD ASSET MANAGEMENT in Canada may be the next Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK/A) NYSE: BAM). Cramer reviewed 10 Warren Buffett stocks for analysis and then reviewed 10 More Warren Buffett stocks:

Will his buyout of ALCOA (AA) prediction come true in 2008??? Cramer gave a list of stocks that had bought back so much stock that they might be taking themselves private.

Join our free email distribution list for other Cramer calls or for updates we send out regarding IPO’s, spin-offs, restructuring, reorganization, activist investors and more.

Happy New Years from the 247WallSt.com team!

Jon C. Ogg
December 31, 2007

Rite Aid Can’t Get It Right (RAD, CVS, WAG)

Rite Aid Corp. (NYSE: RAD) is indicated to open lower after the company posted another net loss for the quarter.  It also lowered guidance for a second time.  We just noted this one as a turnaround stock that has yet to turn around, and this proves that even more true.

Its $93 million net loss came in at -$0.12 EPS, while First Call was looking for only -$0.07 EPS targets. revenues came in at $6.52 Billion, also under the $6.6 Billion estimate.  To top it off, Rite Aid said a slow cold and flu season was having an impact.

As far as guidance, that is lower. It now expects to lose $161 to $192 million for fiscal 2008, a wider loss than its prior range of $78 to $161 million. It targets fiscal 2008 sales between $24.3 and $24.6 billion, under the September forecast of $24.5 to $25.1 billion.

Last night Jim Cramer noted the difference on execution between CVS Caremark (NYSE:CVS) and Walgreens (NYSE:WAG) with CVS being the clear winner.  Imagine what you’d have to say about the execution here.  This one had been one of Cramer’s Top 9 Picks for 2007, but its turnaround stumbled.  Hell, it’s falling off the cart.

Rite Aid shares are now indicated down almost 10% at $3.70 in crummy pre-market trading.  Its 52-week trading range is $3.44 to $6.74.  That hurts.

Jon C. Ogg
December 20, 2007

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Cramer’s Execution Face-Offs (DPZ, PZZA, WAG, CVS)

Tonight’s MAD MONEY on CNBC was a different section than the normal stock picking.  Jim Cramer wanted to cover execution of a business model (or business plan):

  • Cramer’s first face-off was in the pizza group of food and restaurants between Papa John’s International (NASDAQ:PZZA) and Dominos Pizza Inc. (NYSE:DPZ). 
  • Secondly, Cramer compared CVS Caremark (NYSE:CVS) to Walgreen’s (NYSE:WAG).

In the pizza face-off, Cramer noted how Papa Johns (NASDAQ:PZZA) was confident on the conference call, how they were positive about the environment despite rising food and energy prices and more, while Dominos (NYSE: DPZ) was apathetic and not positive.  He also noted how this will bring about a company that deserves a higher multiple.  Papa John’s fell 2% to $22.64 today but rose almost 1% to $22.80 on his call (52-week trading range $21.76 to $34.86.  Dominos fell 1.5% today to $12.75 and fell another 0.5% to $12.69 in after-hours trading (52-week trading range $12.25 to $35.67 per-dividend).  We noted in the past how Dominos had looted its books to make that one-time shareholder pay-off.

In the second execution comparison for competitors, Cramer noted how Walgreens (NYSE:WAG) used to be the GO-TO stock in the group but has fallen off track.  CVS Caremark (NYSE:CVS) has started executing better and changed its weakness with the Caremark cost containment company to win as patents go from label to generic in the coming years.  Walgreens is a good pharmacy according to Cramer, but CVS now is winning because of execution and now has an extra edge.  CVS is also adding stores more strategically and more thought out.  In the past Cramer noted this as a MAJOR BULL MARKET PICK.

CVS shares closed up almost 1% today at $39.49 and rose another 0.5% to $39.68 after-hours (52-week range $29.44 to $42.60).  Walgreens hasn’t traded in after-hours to speak of and closed down 2.3% today at $36.38 (52-week trading range $35.80 to $49.10).

For those of you always looking for "CRAMER PICKS TO MOVE" you’ll want to count tonight as  "more educational rather than bold stock picking."

Jon C. Ogg
December 19, 2007

Jon Ogg can be reached at jonogg@247wallst.com; he produces the SPECIAL SITUATION newsletter and he does not own securities in the companies he covers.

Turnarounds That Haven’t Turned Around: Rite Aid (RAD, WAG, CVS, WMT)

Rite Aid (NYSE:RAD) is a turnaround story that frankly has never ceased being a turnaround story.  Can you remember the mid to late 1990’s stock trading?  One great stock in the drug store arena that had a fresh look and feel was Rite Aid.  But then in 1998 and 1999, this one went to hell in a hand basket.  During the pinnacle it traded north of $40.00, but this entire decade has been the decade of wrong-aid.  It hasn’t seen $10.00 the entire decade.  It has made several recovery attempts and failed. 

Its new Co-Chairman and President & CEO Marry Sammons is well thought of and deemed a winner for this company.  Jim Cramer has been behind her naming this his #2 Speculative Pick for 2007 , as have other media pundits.  This summer everything was seeming to go right at the company and the stock was above $6.00.  The new plan was working on the surface.  Then it posted a net loss and that was that.  Shares have only moderately recovered after posting a slightly wider loss in September.

It recently lost its chief marketing officer in early November and its most recent same-store-sales have been moderately higher.   With a $3.2 Billion market cap and expected sales north of $24 Billion, it is dirt cheap on a price/sales ratio.  Even after a poor performance out of Walgreen’s (NYSE:WAG), its market cap is $36.5 Billion on an expected $60 Billion in annual sales. 

So if Rite Aid can ever get the "E" back in its P/E this one has major room for upside.  It’s just too bad that this has been the case every year in recent history.  Maybe some turnarounds take longer than others in a competitive space, but some turnarounds at troubled companies seem to stay….. umm, troubled.  There is always the argument that Wal-Mart’s (NYSE: WMT) new program and increased pressure from CVS Caremark (NYSE: CVS) are stronger than before, but at the end of the day the stock market players only want to own established companies that can prove they have steady earnings power and steady dependability.  Rite Aid needs to consider this,  even if it means a lower top-line.

Shares still sit around $4.00 and the 52-week low is $3.44.  Rite Aid was just featured with a bit more detail in our "10 Stocks Under $10" weekly newsletter.  This is also featured from time to time on our Open Email Dustribution List.

Jon C. Ogg
December 17, 2007

Jon Ogg can be reached at jonogg@247wallst.com; he produces the SPECIAL SITUATION newsletter and he does not own securities in the companies he covers.