24/7 Wall St. » EIX

Top Analyst Upgrades and Stocks to Buy: Boeing, 3D Systems, Teva and More

Jon C. Ogg — Fri, 10 May 2013 12:35:12 +0000

Investors and traders frequently search for fresh research ideas that will lead to higher income or more profits. 24/7 Wall St. reviews many fresh research calls to find great ideas to find value stocks, growth stocks, and dividend stocks. We have broken out the positive analyst calls as far as stocks to buy and positive research calls today. These are some of this Friday’s top analyst upgrades, initiations and positive analyst research calls seen from Wall Street today.

Allergan Inc. (NYSE: AGN) was initiated as Outperform at BMO Capital Markets.

American Water Works Co. Inc. (NYSE: AWK) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Citigroup.

Arkansas Best Corp. (NASDAQ: ABFS) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Citigroup.

Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) was raised to Hold from Sell at Soc-Gen.

Boston Scientific Corp. (NYSE: BSX) was raised to Outperform from Market Perform at Wells Fargo.

Edison International Inc. (NYSE: EIX) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Citigroup.

Nuance Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: NUAN) started as Outperform at Wedbush.

Proto Labs Inc. (NYSE: PRLB) was started as Buy at Janney.

3D Systems Corp. (NYSE: DDD) was initiated as Buy at Janney after the firm sold 7.5 million shares at $40.00 per share in a poorly priced offering.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE: TEVA) was initiated as Outperform at BMO Capital Markets.

Workday Inc. (NYSE: WDAY) was started as Outperform at Oppenheimer.

Zillow Inc. (NASDAQ: Z) was named Bull of the Day on strong mobile traffic according to Zacks Investment Research.

This week we released 13 analyst calls with upside of 40% to 100%.

Deutsche Bank has its list of semiconductor stocks to buy now. Jefferies gave its picks after the Tech, Media, and Telecom (TMT) conference came to an end this week.

Filed under: Active Trader, Analyst Calls, Technology, Value Investing Tagged: ABFS, AGN, AWK, BA, BSX, DDD, EIX, NUAN, PRLB, TEVA, WDAY, Z

Top Wall Street Analyst Downgrades: Biogen, LSI, Nuance and More

Jon C. Ogg — Wed, 01 May 2013 12:30:15 +0000

Investors frequently get to see the analyst upgrades and Buy ratings from Wall Street firms. They often do not get to see when analyst downgrade stocks to sell or to avoid. We review many fresh research calls each and every day to find great ideas from value stocks to growth stocks to dividend stocks and we have broken out the negative analyst calls today. These are this Wednesday’s top analyst downgrades and cautious research notes from Wall Street.

Biogen Idec Inc. (NASDAQ: BIIB) was replaced by Amgen on the Conviction Buy List at Goldman Sachs this morning. Biogen shares were downgraded to Neutral in the call.

Edison International (NYSE: EIX) was cut to Market Perform from Outperform at BMO Capital Markets.

Fiserv Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV) was cut to Perform from Outperform at Oppenheimer.

LSI Corp. (NASDAQ: LSI) was cut to Neutral from Buy at Goldman Sachs.

Magellan Health Services Inc. (NASDAQ: MGLN) was cut to Neutral from Buy at Citigroup.

Mindspeed Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: MSPD) was cut to Market Perform from Outperform at Raymond James.

Nuance Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: NUAN) was cut to Equal Weight from Overweight after yesterday’s huge drop by Morgan Stanley. FBR Capital Markets also downgraded it yesterday to Market Perform.

Oil States International Inc. (NYSE: OIS) was downgraded to Underperform from Market Perform at BMO Capital Markets and was downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at Raymond James.

ONEOK Corp. (NYSE: OKE) was cut to Equal Weight from Overweight at Morgan Stanley.

Select Comfort Corp. (NASDAQ: SCSS) was named Bear of the Day after two earnings warnings at Zacks Investment Research.

Filed under: Active Trader, Analyst Calls Tagged: BIIB, EIX, FISV, LSI, MGLN, MSPD, NUAN, OIS, OKE, SCSS

Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades (BSFT, DB, EBAY, EIX, FSLR, GRPN, JCP, RHT, REGN, SKS, UBS, VSI, VMW)

Jon C. Ogg — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 13:35:26 +0000

These are some of this Thursday’s top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations seen from Wall St. research calls.

Broadsoft Inc. (NASDAQ: BSFT) downgraded after poor expense guidance at Mizuho, Oppenheimer, and boutique Northland Securities.

Deutsche Bank A.G. (NYSE: DB) raised to Buy at KBW.

eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) started as Outperform at BMO.

Edison International (NYSE: EIX) raised to Outperform ast BMO.

First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) reiterated Hold at Argus but that is after multiple downgrades Wednesday.

Groupon Inc. (NASDAQ: GRPN) cut to Underperform at BofA/Merrill Lynch, cut to Market Perform at Wells Fargo and cut to Underperform at Raymond James.

J.C. Penney Co. Inc. (NYSE: JCP) maintained Buy but lowered price target to only $25 from $35 by Argus.

Red Hat Inc. (NYSE: RHT) started as Overweight at Barclays.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) started as Overweight at Barclays.

Saks Inc. (NYSE: SKS) cut to Underweight at Morgan Stanley.

UBS A.G. (NYSE: UBS) cut to Market Perform at KBW.

Vitamin Shoppe Inc. (NYSE: VSI) cut to Neutral at BofA Merrill Lynch.

VMware Inc. (NYSE: VMW) started as Hold at Stifel Nicolaus.

Here is a list of the Seven Safest Banks in America for 2013.

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Analyst Calls Tagged: BSFT, DB, EBAY, EIX, FSLR, GRPN, JCP, REGN, RHT, SKS, UBS, VMW, VSI

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — February 27, 2013: Markets Climb on Mixed Data, News (LNKD, GOOG, VRSN, GTI, NOK, AWK, EIX, PCLN, FSLR, RRC, WFT, DLTR, JOY, SWC, TGT, CECO, CLR, GRPN, GTAT, JCP, LTD, MNST, RGR, PANL, BKS, CVC, KSS, SHLD, FSLR, ZNGA, AH)

Paul Ausick — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 21:04:03 +0000

U.S. equity markets opened higher this morning following markets in Europe and Asia, most of which were also pointed higher. In Asia, equities were mostly higher following yesterday’s buoyant session in the U.S. The exception was Japan’s Nikkei, which finished lower on a strengthening yen. In Europe, Italy sold 5- and 10-year debt at higher yields, but the country sold them all. In the U.S., mortgage loans dipped again (more coverage here) and durable goods orders came in below expectations (more coverage here). The report on pending home sales was sharply higher, though, (more coverage here) and helped push stocks higher in advance of Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke’s second day of Congressional testimony.

The U.S. dollar index fell 0.33% today, now at 81.601. The GSCI commodity index is down 0.8% at 653.56, with commodities prices mostly higher today on the weaker dollar. WTI crude oil closed up 0.1% today, at $92.76 a barrel, following today’s report on inventories (more coverage here). Brent crude trades down 0.7% at $111.95 a barrel. Natural gas is down 1% today at about $3.42 per million BTUs. Gold settled down 1.2% today at $1,595.70 an ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up about 176 points to 14,076.22 (1.27%), the NASDAQ rose more than 32 points (1.04%) to 3,162.27, and the S&P 500 rose 1.28% or about 19 points to 1,516.032.

There were a several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including LinkedIn Corp. (NYSE: LNKD) started as ‘buy’ with a $195 price target at Wunderlich (more coverage here); Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) raised to ‘buy’ and price target raised to $920 at BofA/Merrill Lynch; VeriSign Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN) cut to ‘neutral’ at Credit Suisse; GrafTech International Ltd. (NYSE: GTI) cut to ‘sell’ at Goldman Sachs and cut to ‘neutral’ at J.P. Morgan; and Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) raised to ‘buy’ with a $6 price target at Argus.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night resulted in several price moves today, including these: American Water Works Co. Inc. (NYSE: AWK) is up 0.1% at $39.46; Edison International (NYSE: EIX) is up 2.6% at $47.31; Priceline.com Inc. (NASDAQ: PCLN) is up 3.2% at $700.23; Range Resources Corp. (NYSE: RRC) is up 4% at $74.21 after posting a new 52-week high of $74.65 earlier today; Weatherford International Ltd. (NYSE: WFT) is up 0.6% at $12.01; Dollar Tree Inc. (NASDAQ: DLTR) is up 11.2% at $45.69 (more coverage here); Joy Global Inc. (NYSE: JOY) is up 6.2% at $63.68 (more coverage here); Stillwater Mining Co. (NYSE: SWC) is up 3.3% at $13.30 (more coverage here); and Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT) is down 1.1% at $63.38 (more coverage here).

After markets close today and before they open tomorrow morning we are scheduled to hear from Career Education Corp. (NASDAQ: CECO), Continental Resources Inc. (NYSE: CLR), Groupon Inc. (NASDAQ: GRPN), GT Advanced Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: GTAT), J.C. Penney Co Inc. (NYSE: JCP), Limited Brands Inc. (NYSE: LTD), Monster Beverage Corp. (NASDAQ: MNST), Sturm Ruger & Co. Inc. (NYSE: RGR), Universal Display Corp. (NASDAQ: PANL), Barnes & Noble Inc. (NYSE: BKS), Cablevision Systems Corp. (NYSE: CVC) (more coverage here), Kohl’s Corp. (NYSE: KSS), and Sears Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: SHLD).

Some standouts from today include the following stocks:

First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) is down 13.7% at $27.07. The solar panel maker reported weak results last night, and dragged the entire sector down today. More coverage here.

Zynga Inc. (NASDAQ: ZNGA) is up 4.8% at $3.52. The social game maker is getting yet another boost today following approval of legislation permitting online gambling in New Jersey. More coverage here.

Accretive Health Inc. (NYSE: AH) is down 22.1% at $9.44. The healthcare revenue management firm delayed its fourth quarter earnings report, saying it may change the way it recognizes contract revenues.

Stay tuned for Thursday. Fed Governor Sarah Bloom Raskin, Dallas Fed President Richard Fisher, and Chicago Fed President Charles Evans are giving speeches. We have also noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

8:30 a.m. – GDP
8:30 a.m. – New claims for unemployment benefits
9:45 a.m. – Chicago PMI
9:45 a.m. – Bloomberg consumer comfort index
10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly natural gas storage report
11:00 a.m. – Kansas City Fed manufacturing index
3:00 p.m. – Farm prices
4:30 p.m. – Fed balance sheet and money supply

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: AH, AWK, BKS, CECO, CLR, CVC, DLTR, EIX, FSLR, GOOG, GRPN, GTAT, GTI, JCP, JOY, KSS, LNKD, LTD, MNST, NOK, PANL, PCLN, RGR, RRC, SHLD, SWC, TGT, VRSN, WFT, ZNGA

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — February 26, 2013: Markets Show a Little Enthusiasm (ADM, LULU, SNDK, YUM, IP, VVUS, HFC, HD, M, MSO, RSH, SKS, TSL, AWK, EIX, PCLN, FSLR, RRC, WFT, DLTR, JOY, SWC, TGT)

Paul Ausick — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 21:16:38 +0000

U.S. equity markets opened higher this morning and wobbled around before heading upward for most of the day. Strong home prices and a surge in the consumer confidence index (more coverage here) gave the markets all the push they needed to pay little attention to the Italian election results (more coverage here).

The U.S. dollar index rose 0.27% today, now at 81.894. The GSCI commodity index is up 0.1% at 658.64, with commodities prices mixed today on the stronger dollar. WTI crude oil closed down 0.5% today, at $92.63 a barrel, the lowest finish of the year so far. Brent crude trades down 1.6% at $112.64 a barrel. Natural gas is up 0.4% today at about $3.43 per million BTUs. Gold settled up 1.8% today at $1,615.50 an ounce, the largest one-day gain so far this year.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up about 116 points to 13,900.13 (0.84%), the NASDAQ rose more than 13 points (0.43%) to 3,129.65, and the S&P 500 rose 0.61% or about 9 points to 1,496.94.

There were a several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Archer Daniels Midland Co. (NYSE: ADM) cut to ‘market perform’ at BMO; Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ: LULU) started as ‘outperform’ at Cowen; SanDisk Corp. (NASDAQ: SNDK) raised to ‘outperform’ at RBC; Yum! Brands Inc. (NYSE: YUM) reiterated ‘hold’ but 2013 earnings estimate lowered 15% at Argus; and International Paper Co. (NYSE: IP) started as ‘buy’ at Jefferies.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night resulted in several price moves today, including these: Vivus Inc. (NASDAQ: VVUS) is down 12.3% at $10.88 (more coverage here); HollyFrontier Corp. (NYSE: HFC) is down 0.4% at $54.41 (more coverage here); Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) is up 5.7% at $67.54 (more coverage here); Macy’s Inc. (NYSE: M) is up 2.9% at $39.64 (more coverage here); Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. (NYSE: MSO) is down 5.7% at $2.84; RadioShack Corp. (NYSE: RSH) is up 1.3% at $3.09; Saks Inc. (NYSE: SKS) is up 1.4% at $11.19; and Trina Solar Ltd. (NYSE: TSL) is down 5.6% at $4.22 (more solar coverage here).

After markets close today and before they open tomorrow morning we are scheduled to hear from American Water Works Co. Inc. (NYSE: AWK), Edison International (NYSE: EIX), First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR), Priceline.com Inc. (NASDAQ: PCLN), Range Resources Corp. (NYSE: RRC), Weatherford International Ltd. (NYSE: WFT), Dollar Tree Inc. (NASDAQ: DLTR), Joy Global Inc. (NYSE: JOY), Stillwater Mining Co. (NYSE: SWC), and Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT)

Stay tuned for Wednesday. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke is giving his second-day of semi-annual testimony to the House Financial Services Committee and Dallas Fed President Richard Fisher is giving a speech. We have also noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

7:00 a.m. – Mortgage Bankers Association purchase applications
8:30 a.m. – Durable goods orders
10:00 a.m. – Pending home sales
10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly petroleum status report
1:00 p.m. – 7-year note auction

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: ADM, AWK, DLTR, EIX, FSLR, HD, HFC, IP, JOY, LULU, M, MSO, PCLN, RRC, RSH, SKS, SNDK, SWC, TGT, TSL, VVUS, WFT, YUM

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

Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades (ABB, BDC, BSFT, CLX, GLW, CVH, EIX, GPS, GRPN, NNN, NFLIX, PVR, QTWW, STP, URBN, VE)

Jon C. Ogg — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 12:47:03 +0000

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

ABB Ltd. (NYSE: ABB) cut to Sell at Deutsche Bank.

Belden Inc. (NYSE: BDC) named as value stock of the day at Zacks.

BroadSoft Inc. (NASDAQ: BSFT) started as Underperform at Raymond James.

Clorox Co. (NYSE: CLX) named as Bull of the Day at Zacks.

Corning Inc. (NYSE: GLW) started as Buy at Stifel Nicolaus.

Coventry Health Care Inc. (NYSE: CVH) raised to Neutral at Wedbush.

Edison International (NYSE: EIX) raised to Buy at Argus.

Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) raised to Buy at Argus.

Groupon Inc. (NASDAQ: GRPN) cut to Underweight at Barclays.

National Retail Properties Inc. (NYSE: NNN) started as Neutral at Baird.

Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) raised to Average at Caris & Co.

Penn Virgina Resource Partners (NYSE: PVR) named as Bear of the Day at Zacks.

Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: QTWW) started as Buy at Roth Capital.

Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. (NYSE: STP) cut to Sell at Argus.

Urban Outfitters Inc. (NASDAQ: URBN) reiterated as Buy and raised price target to $38 at Canaccord Genuity. Also raised to Outperform at William Blair.

Veolia Environnment S.A. (NYSE: VE) cut to Underperform at BNP-Paribas.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Analyst Calls Tagged: ABB, BDC, BSFT, CLX, CVH, EIX, GLW, GPS, GRPN, NFLX, NNN, PVR, QTWW, STP, URBN, VE

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — August 1, 2012: Markets Lose Small Gains after FOMC Minutes

Paul Ausick — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 20:03:34 +0000

The three major US stock indexes opened higher this morning as markets were getting primed for the afternoon’s statement from the FOMC. Tomorrow’s announcement on interest rates from the European Central Bank now takes center stage. China’s PMI report came in weaker than expected (our report here), but Asian markets finished higher, probably hoping that the weaker PMI would lead to more Chinese government stimulus. US and European PMI readings were mixed, with the Eurozone revised up, while both Germany and France posted downward revisions (more coverage here). When the FOMC minutes were finally released, markets responded by dropping sharply on the lack of stronger hints for more stimulus (our coverage here).

The US dollar index rose today, now up 0.46% at 83.013. The GSCI commodity index fell by about -1.3% to 635.82, with commodities prices mostly lower again today. WTI crude oil rose 1% today, closing at $88.91/barrel, following the EIA’s weekly petroleum status report (our coverage here). Brent crude trades up 0.74% at $105.70/barrel. Natural gas is down -1.18% today to $3.171/thousand cubic feet. Gold settled at $1,603.70/ounce, down -0.4% for the day.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down more than 31 points to 12,977.42 (-0.24%), the NASDAQ fell more than 19 points (-0.66%) to 2,920.21, and the S&P 500 fell 0.29% or nearly 4 points to 1,375.37.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) raised to ‘hold’ at Deutsche Bank; JetBlue Airways Corp. (NASDAQ: JBLU) cut to ‘sell’ at Dahlman Rose; Discovery Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: DISCA) cut to ‘sell’ at Citigroup; BP plc (NYSE: BP) cut to ‘hold’ at Jefferies; and Tech Data Corp. (NASDAQ: TECD) 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: Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) is up 5.4% at $11.61 (more coverage here); Allstate Corp. (NYSE: ALL) is up 7.3% at $36.80 after posting a new 52-week high of $36.99 earlier today; Edison International Inc. (NYSE: EIX) is down -2.6% at $44.99; FMC Corp. (NYSE: FMC) is down -3.2% at $52.97; Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO) is down -9.7% at $7.93 after posting a new 52-week low of $7.92 (our coverage here); WebMD Health Corp. (NASDAQ: WBMD) is down -2% at $14.41; Allergan Inc. (NYSE: AGN) is up 4.7% at $85.91; Burger King Worldwide Inc. (NYSE: BKW) is down -0.8% at $15.20; CNH Global NV (NYSE: CNH) is up 0.2% at $38.19; Devon Energy Corp. (NYSE: DVN) is down -3.5% at $57.07; Exelon Corp. (NYSE: EXC) is down -2% at $38.34; and Harley-Davidson Inc. (NYSE: HOG) is down -2.4% at $42.18.

After markets close today we are set to hear from Atlas Pipeline Partners LP (NYSE: APL), Avis Budget Group Inc. (NYSE: CAR), CVR Energy Inc. (NYSE: CVI), First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR), General Growth Properties Inc. (NYSE: GGP), GT Advanced Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: GTAT), Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ONXX), and Seaspan Corp. (NYSE: SSW).

Before markets open tomorrow we are scheduled to get earnings results from American Superconductor Corp. (NASDAQ: AMSC), Apache Corp. (NYSE: APA), Beam Inc. (NYSE: BEAM), Boise Inc. (NYSE: BZ), Duke Energy Corp. (NYSE: DUK), Lear Corp. (NYSE: LEA), Monster Worldwide Inc. (NYSE: MWW), and Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC).

Some standouts from today include the following stocks:

Silicon Image Inc. (NASDAQ: SIMG) is up 26% at $4.94. The semiconductor company beat estimates last night and is positioned for growth with Samsung’s hot-selling Galaxy phones.

Knight Capital Group Inc. (NYSE: KCG) is down -28.5% at $7.39 after posting a new 52-week low of $7.20 earlier today. The financial services company has admitted to some trading errors. More coverage here.

Frontier Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: FTR) is up 11.7% at $4.38. The telecom provider reported better-than-expected earnings last night — and pays a very rich dividend yield. More coverage here.

Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) is down -3.5% at $20.95 after posting a new post-IPO low of $20.87 earlier today. The social networking company had no news today, but some investors are jumping ship before the locked-up shares hit the market later this month.

Stay tuned for Thursday. 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
10:00 a.m. – Factory orders
10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly natural gas storage report
4:30 p.m. – Fed balance sheet and money supply

Paul Ausick

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Active Trader, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: AGN, ALL, AMSC, APA, APL, BEAM, BKW, BP, BZ, CAR, CNH, CVI, DISCA, DUK, DVN, EA, EIX, EXC, FB, FMC, FSLR, FTR, GGP, GTAT, HOG, JBLU, KCG, LEA, MWW, ONXX, SIMG, SSW, TECD, TTWO, TWC, WBMD, WMT

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — July 31, 2012: Markets Turn Down on Lost Confidence, Eurozone Waffling

Paul Ausick — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 20:17:16 +0000

The three major US stock indexes opened mixed this morning following the unemployment report from the Eurozone, which showed that the 11.2% rate had remained unchanged. The Eurozone consumer price index was also unchanged at 2.4% (our coverage here). US data on personal income and spending were mixed (our coverage here), while the Case-Shiller house price index showed a year-over-year decline in May (our coverage here). The Conference Board’s economic confidence index improved this month (more coverage here), but Gallup’s survey on economic confidence showed a decline in confidence (our coverage here). An agreement has been struck between Congressional Democrats and Republicans that will avoid a repeat of last summer’s shutdown of some government services.

The US dollar index fell today, now down -0.18% at 82.642. The GSCI commodity index rose by about 0.4% to 644.60, with commodities prices mostly lower today. WTI crude oil fell -1.72% today, closing at $88.06/barrel, although July prices rose 3.6% (our coverage here). Brent crude trades down -1.37% at $104.74/barrel. Natural gas is up 0.16% today to $3.219/thousand cubic feet. Gold settled at $1,610.50/ounce, down -0.6% for the day, but up 0.4% for the month.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down more than 64 points to 13,008.68 (-0.49%), the NASDAQ fell more than 6 points (-0.21%) to 2,939.52, and the S&P 500 fell -0.43% or nearly 6 points to 1,379.32.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) started as ‘buy’ at Jefferies; Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS) cut to ‘hold’ at Argus; The Dow Chemical Co. (NYSE: DOW) cut to ‘hold’ at Argus; Broadsoft Inc. (NASDAQ: BSFT) raised to ‘buy’ at Goldman Sachs, and Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ: CMCSA) started as ‘buy’ at Jefferies.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: APC) is down -3.2% at $69.45; CafePress Inc. (NASDAQ: PRSS) is down -40.9% at $8.10 after posting a new 52-week low of $7.68 earlier today (more coverage here); Dendreon Corp. (NASDAQ: DNDN) is down -23% at $4.76 after posting a new 52-week low of $4.70 earlier today (more coverage here); Hertz Global Holdings Inc. (NYSE: HTZ) is down -2.1% at $11.26; Seagate Technology PLC (NASDAQ: STX) is down -1.4% at $30.01; Aetna Inc. (NYSE: AET) is down -2.9% at $36.05; Archer Daniels Midland Co. (NYSE: ADM) is down -5.2% at $26.08; Coach Inc. (NYSE: COH) is down -18.6% at $49.30(more coverage here); Marathon Petroleum Corp. (NYSE: MPC) is down -0.3% at $47.33; Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) is up 1.5% at $24.06 (our coverage here); Revlon Inc. (NYSE: REV) is up 7.2% at $14.55; United States Steel Corp. (NYSE: X) is up 9.1% at $20.65; and Valero Energy Corp. (NYSE: VLO) is up 5.5% at $27.51 (more coverage here).

After markets close today we are set to hear from Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA), Allstate Corp. (NYSE: ALL), Edison International Inc. (NYSE: EIX), FMC Corp. (NYSE: FMC), Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), and WebMD Health Corp. (NASDAQ: WBMD).

Before markets open tomorrow we are scheduled to get earnings results from Allergan Inc. (NYSE: AGN), Burger King Worldwide Inc. (NYSE: BKW), CNH Global NV (NYSE: CNH), Devon Energy Corp. (NYSE: DVN), Exelon Corp. (NYSE: EXC), and Harley-Davidson Inc. (NYSE: HOG).

Some standouts from today include the following stocks:

Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) is down -6.5% at $21.64, after posting a new 52-week low of $21.61 earlier today. The social media giant continues to suffer from last week’s poor earnings and the end of a lock-up period for pre-IPO investors. More coverage here.

Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. (NYSE: STP) is down -14.2% at $1.15after posting a new 52-week low of $1.02 earlier today. The solar PV maker revealed some accounting issues yesterday that have plagued the company again today.

Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S) is down 3.1% at $4.37 after posting a new 52-week high of $4.60earlier today. The telecom provider is gaining support for its strategic plan.

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

7:00 a.m. – Mortgage Bankers Association mortgage purchase applications
7:30 a.m. – Challenger job-cut report
8:15 a.m. – ADP employment report
9:00 a.m. – PMI manufacturing index
10:00 a.m. – ISM manufacturing index
10:00 a.m. – Construction spending
10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly petroleum status report
2:15 p.m. – FOMC announcement

Paul Ausick

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Active Trader, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: ADM, AET, AGN, ALL, APC, BKW, BSFT, CMCSA, CNH, COH, DNDN, DOW, DVN, EA, EIX, EXC, FB, FMC, HOG, HTZ, LVS, MPC, PFE, PRSS, REV, S, STP, STX, TTWO, TWC, VLO, WBMD, X

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (AAPL, NOK, VMW, EIX, CLD, GOOG, JPM, WFC, IGTE, C, INTC, MSFT, GTIM, INFY, TLB)

Paul Ausick — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 20:08:26 +0000

Markets opened lower this morning and by mid-morning equities were trading down about -1% across the board, where they have mostly remained for the rest of the day. Worries about Spain have replaced worries about Greece, and both the high borrowing levels by Spanish banks (our coverage here) and the record high CDS rates stoked those concerns. China’s weaker-than-expected GDP growth also figured into today’s lower prices (our coverage here). A flight to safety lifted Treasuries and the dollar. The US dollar index rose today, now up 0.76% at 79.885. The GSCI commodity index is up about 1.2% at 687.36, with most commodities falling on the rising dollar. WTI crude oil closed down -0.8% at $102.83/barrel, and Brent crude trades down -0.26% at $121.20/barrel. Gold settled down -1.2% today, at $1,660.20/ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down nearly 137 points to 12,849.59 (-1.05%), the NASDAQ fell more than 44 points (-1.45%) to 3,011.33, and the S&P 500 fell -1.25% or more than 17 points to 1,370.26.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) reiterated as ‘buy’ and target price raised to $770 at BofA/ML; Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) cut to ‘equal-weight’ at Barclays (our coverage here); VMWare Inc. (NYSE: VMW) started as ‘overweight’ at Piper Jaffray; Edison International (NYSE: EIX) raised to ‘outperform’ at Wells Fargo; and Cloud Peak Energy Corp. (NYSE: CLD) cut to ‘neutral’ at Credit Suisse (more coverage here).

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) is down -3.9% at $625.38 (more coverage here); JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) is down -3.5% at $43.26 (more coverage here); Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) is down -3.3% at $32.90 (more coverage here); and iGate Corp. (NASDAQ: IGTE) is up 10.5% at $18.97 after posting a new 52-week high earlier today of $19.64.

Our preview of the top earnings reports due next week is available here. Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C), Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC), and Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) are among the major reports we’re waiting for.

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

Good Times Restaurants Inc. (NASDAQ: GTIM) is up 98.2% at $2.18 after posting a new 52-week high today of $3.14. The small restaurant chain hired a consultant to help it review its strategic options, one of which would be more acquisitions.

Infosys Ltd. (NASDAQ: INFY) is down -13.6% at $49.08. The business outsourcing firm issued a forecast that was short of analysts’ expectations. More coverage here.

The Talbots Inc. (NYSE: TLB) is down -16.3% at $2.62. The troubled retailer forecast lower-than-expected first-quarter revenues and put itself up for sale last year.

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

8:30 a.m. – Retail sales
9:00 a.m. – Treasury International Capital (TIC) data
10:00 a.m. – Business Inventories
10:00 a.m. – Housing market index
11:30 a.m. – 3- and 6-month bill auction

Paul Ausick

Filed under: Active Trader, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: AAPL, C, CLD, EIX, GOOG, GTIM, IGTE, INFY, INTC, JPM, MSFT, NOK, TLB, VMW, WFC