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24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — July 12, 2012: Markets Continue Slide on No Signs of Easing

Paul Ausick — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 20:06:05 +0000

The three major US stock indexes opened lower this morning following yesterday’s release of the minutes of the June FOMC meeting which did not raise hopes for another round of Fed easing. Markets in Asia and Europe were weaker as well today, although the report for May industrial production in Europe was better than expected (our coverage here). The Bank of Japan has also crushed investors hopes of more easing in that country. New claims for unemployment benefits came in lower than expected and import prices fell for the third month in a row, but neither report did anything to boost shares (more coverage here).

The US dollar index rose today, now up 0.15% at 83.690, after rising to almost 84 earlier today (our coverage here). The GSCI commodity index rose about 1% to 612.44, with commodities prices mixed today, following a disheartening report on drought in the US Midwest (our coverage here). WTI crude oil rose 0.3% today, closing at $86.08/barrel. Brent crude trades up 0.6% at $100.82/barrel. Natural gas is up 0.8% today to $2.875/thousand cubic feet. Gold settled at $1,565.30/ounce, down -0.7% since yesterday’s close.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down more than 31 points to 12,573.27 (-0.25%), the NASDAQ fell nearly 22 points (-0.75%) to 2,866.19, and the S&P 500 fell -0.5% or more than 6 points to 1,334.76.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Delta Air Lines Co. (NYSE: DAL) and United Continental Holdings Inc. (NYSE: UAL) started as ‘sell’ at Goldman Sachs; The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) raised to ‘outperform’ at Wells Fargo; FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) raised to ‘buy’ at Goldman Sachs; and Archer Daniels Midland Co. (NYSE: ADM) cut to ‘equal-weight’ at Morgan Stanley.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: Marriott International Inc. (NYSE: MAR) is down -6% at $35.74, Texas Industries Inc. (NYSE: TXI) is up 16.2% at $44.20 after posting a new 52-week high of $44.23 earlier today; Infosys Ltd. (NASDAQ: INFY) is down -11.2% at $38.72 after posting a new 52-week low of $38.12 earlier today; Progressive Corp. (NYSE: PGR) is down -5% at $19.52; NovaGold Resources Inc. (NYSEMKT: NG) is up 1.6% at $5.35; and Fastenall Co. (NASDAQ: FAST) is up 6.7% at $42.29.

Tomorrow we are scheduled to get earnings results from JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM), Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC), and Avalon Rare Metals Inc. (NYSEMKT: AVL).

Some standouts from today include the following stocks:

Supervalu Inc. (NYSE: SVU) is down -48.8% at $2.71 after posting a new 52-week low of $5.61 earlier today. The grocery store chain reported weak earnings after markets closed last night. More coverage here.

Cheniere Energy Inc. (NYSEMKT: LNG) is up 10.3% at $15.62. The liquefied natural gas company’s subsidiary, Cheniere Energy Partners L.P. (NYSEMKT: CQP) agreed to a $3.4 billion credit facility today for construction of an LNG export facility. More coverage here.

Safeway Inc. (NYSE: SWY) is down -12% at $15.82 after posting a new 52-week low of $15.71 earlier today. The grocer fell on the poor report from Supervalu.

Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) is down -2.5% at $24.75. The world’s largest chip maker saw its target price lowered today and suffered from a weak forecast on PC sales. More coverage here.

Stay tuned for Friday. Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart 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 index

Paul Ausick

Filed under: Active Trader, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: ADM, AVL, CQP, DAL, DIS, FAST, FDX, featured, INFY, INTC, JPM, LNG, MAR, NG, PGR, SVU, SWY, TXI, UAL, WFC

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — July 11, 2012: More Profit Warnings, No Easing Keep Shares Down

Paul Ausick — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 20:05:47 +0000

The three major US stock indexes opened slightly lower this morning ahead of the release later today of the minutes of the last FOMC meeting. Asian markets were mixed overnight and markets in Europe offered a mixed reaction to Spain’s latest proposal to cut spending and raise taxes by €65 billion (our coverage here). The US trade deficit was lower in May, which caused no discernible reaction among traders, and other data out today on trade had similar results. The release of the FOMC minutes did not include a strong preference for more easing by the Fed, and that sent shares lower (our coverage here).

The US dollar index rose today, now up 0.17% at 83.538. The GSCI commodity index fell about -1.7% to 605.91, with commodities prices mostly lower today, even though US crop forecasts were lowered (our coverage here). WTI crude oil rose 2.3% today, closing at $85.81/barrel. Brent crude trades up 2.4% at $100.32/barrel. Natural gas is up 4% today to $2.847/thousand cubic feet. Gold settled down -0.3%, at $1,569.80/ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down nearly 49 points to 12,604.38 (-0.39%), the NASDAQ fell more than 14 points (-0.49%) to 2,887.98, and the S&P 500 was flat at 1,341.44.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) started as ‘buy’ at UBS; Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) started as ‘market perform’ at BMO Capital Markets; Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA) cut to ‘underperform’ at BMO Capital Markets; Duke Energy Corp. (NYSE: DUK) cut to ‘neutral’ at UBS; and Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) reiterated as ‘buy’ with a target price of $39 at Argus.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: Adtran Inc. (NASDAQ: ADTN) is down -15.9% at $22.86 after posting a new 52-week low of $22.58 earlier today. After markets close today we expect to get earnings reports from Itron Inc. (NASDAQ: ITRI), Marriott International Inc. (NYSE: MAR), and Texas Industries Inc. (NYSE: TXI).

Tomorrow we are scheduled to get earnings results from NovaGold Resources Inc. (NYSEMKT: NG) and Fastenall Co. (NASDAQ: FAST). Take a look at our overview of tech stock earnings due next week from Apple, Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC), Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG), and Microsoft.

Some standouts from today include the following stocks:

hhgregg Inc. (NYSE: HGG) is down -37% at $7.28 after posting a new 52-week low of $7.00 earlier today. The consumer electronics and appliances retailer warned on quarterly and full-year earnings this morning. More coverage here.

OCZ Technology Group Inc. (NASDAQ: OCZ) is down -17.4% at $4.50. The digital storage company reported worse than expected earnings last night.

Goldcorp Inc. (NYSE: GG) is down -10.5% at $32.91. The gold mining company cut guidance this morning and dragged the other miners down with it. More coverage here.

Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) is up 5.6% at $1.90. The mobile phone maker had no news today, but some analysts believe things have to get better for the company because they just can’t get much worse.

Stay tuned for Thursday. San Francisco Fed President John Williams is giving a speech. We have noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

8:30 a.m. – New claims for unemployment benefits
8:30 a.m. – Import and export prices
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. – Fed balance sheet and money supply

Paul Ausick

Filed under: Active Trader, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: AA, AAPL, ADTN, AMZN, DUK, FAST, GG, GOOG, HGG, INTC, ITRI, MSFT, NG, NOK, OCZ, TXI

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — June 5, 2012 (DG, MRVL, BRCD, CHSI, URI, JASO, UNFI, LAYN, HWD, HOV, MW, THO, WPRT, CAT, GRPN, FAST)

Paul Ausick — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 20:04:27 +0000

The three major US stock indexes opened lower this morning, but only the DJIA remained negative until the afternoon. Economic news from Europe was mixed ahead of a G7 meeting related to Spain (our story here). Asian markets were higher yesterday, but not enough to really influence today’s US markets. The non-manufacturing PMI number was released after the US markets opened and provided a lift to equities (our story here). Financial stocks supported the market all day (our story here).

The US dollar index rose today, now up 0.34% at 82.837. The GSCI commodity index is up about 0.5% at 584.39, with commodities prices mixed. WTI crude oil closed up 0.4%% at $84.29/barrel. Brent crude trades down -0.06% at $98.79/barrel. Natural gas rose 1.3% today to $2.45/thousand cubic feet. Gold settled up 0.2% today, at $1,616.90/ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up more than 26 points to 12,127.88 (0.22%), the NASDAQ rose more than 18 points (0.66%) to 2,778.11, and the S&P 500 rose 0.57% or more than 7 points to 1,285.50.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Dollar General (NYSE: DG) reiterated as ‘buy’ at BMO Capital Markets; Marvell Technology Group Ltd. (NASDAQ: MRVL) raised to ‘market perform’ at JMP Securities; Brocade Communications (NASDAQ: BRCD) cut to ‘hold’ at ThinkEquity; Catalyst Health Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ: CHSI) cut to ‘hold’ at Argus; and United Rentals Inc. (NYSE: URI) started as ‘overweight’ at Piper Jaffray.

Earnings reports since markets closed last Friday have been scarce, but here are some price changes for reporting companies as of the last half hour of trading today: JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: JASO) is up 14.6% at $1.02; United Natural Foods Inc. (NASDAQ: UNFI) is up 2.5% at $51.47 after posting a new 52-week high of $53.99 earlier today; Layne Christensen Co. (NASDAQ: LAYN) is up 3.4% at $19.23; and Dollar General is down -3.4% at $46.83.

On Wednesday, we are scheduled to get earnings reports from Harry Winston Diamond Corp. (NYSE: HWD), Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. (NYSE: HOV), Thor Industries Inc. (NYSE: THO), and Men’s Wearhouse Inc. (NYSE: MW).

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

Westport Innovations Inc. (NASDAQ: WPRT) is up 20.5% at $26.84. The diesel engine technology company has entered a joint development deal with Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT). More coverage here.

Groupon Inc. (NASDAQ: GRPN) is up 8.9% at $9.75. The online coupon provider had no news other than a positive analyst’s appraisal.

Fastenal Co. (NASDAQ: FAST) is down -10.4% at $38.86. The wholesale provider of industrial and construction supplies reported weak sales for May.

Stay tuned for Wednesday. Altlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart, Fed Governor Daniel Tarullo, San Francisco Fed President John Williams, and Fed Vice-Chair Janet Yellen are giving speeches. 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. – Productivity and costs data
10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly petroleum status report
2:00 p.m. – Beige book
3:00 p.m. – Treasury STRIPS

Paul Ausick

Filed under: Active Trader, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: BRCD, CAT, CHSI, DG, FAST, GRPN, HOV, HWD, JASO, LAYN, MRVL, MW, THO, UNFI, URI, WPRT

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (T, AMZN, NOK, GOOG, CMG, FAST, RAD, MSW, CBSH, JBHT, CHKE, JPM, WFC, OAK, MIPS, EGO, AVID)

Paul Ausick — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 20:05:52 +0000

Markets opened slightly higher this morning and about an hour before the markets close all three major indexes are more than 1% higher. The report on new unemployment claims was weaker than expected (our coverage here), but better news from Europe, especially lower Italian bond yields, gave the market a lift. There is also some expectation that China’s GDP report tonight will be strong, indicating that the world’s second-largest economy is still growing. The US dollar index fell today, now down -0.64% at 79.288. The GSCI commodity index is up about 0.7% at 679.53, with virtually all commodities higher on the lower greenback. WTI crude oil closed up 0.9% at $103.64/barrel, and Brent crude trades up 1.22% at $121.65/barrel. Gold settled up 1.2% today, at $1,680.60/ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up more than 181 points to 12,986.43 (1.41%), the NASDAQ rose more than 39 points (1.3%) to 3,055.55, and the S&P 500 rose 1.38% or nearly 19 points to 1,387.57.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) raised to ‘overweight’ at JPMorgan; Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) started as ‘neutral’ at SunTrust Robinson Humphreys; Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) cut to ‘hold’ at SocGen; Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) started as ‘buy’ at SunTrust Robinson Humphreys; and Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. (NYSE: CMG) reiterated as ‘buy’ and target price raised to $480 at Argus.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: Fastenal Corp. (NASDAQ: FAST) is down -1.8% at $48.73; Rite Aid Corp. (NYSE: RAD) is up 0.03% at $1.71; Mission West Properties Inc. (NASDAQ: MSW) is down -0.06% at $9.55; and Commerce Bancshares Inc. (NASDAQ: CBSH) is up 2.2% at $40.00. After the markets close today we will hear from Google (earnings preview here), J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. (NASDAQ: JBHT), and Cherokee Inc. (NASDAQ: CHKE) among others. Before the markets open tomorrow morning we get earnings from JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) and Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) (more coverage here).

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

Oaktree Capital Group LLC (NYSE: OAK) is down about -1.3% at $42.43. The investment management firm held its IPO today. More coverage here.

MIPS Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: MIPS) is up about 27.5% at $6.64. The chip maker is reportedly seeking a buyer. More coverage here.

Eldorado Gold Corp. (NYSE: EGO) is up about 12.5% at $14.45. The junior gold miner announced plans to double production in five years.

Avid Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: AVID) is down more than -17% at $8.51. The media tools company announced that it would have an operating loss in the first quarter.

Stay tuned for Friday. New York Fed President William Dudley and Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke are giving speeches. We have noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

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

Paul Ausick

Filed under: Active Trader, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: AMZN, AVID, CBSH, CHKE, CMG, EGO, FAST, GOOG, JBHT, JPM, MIPS, MSW, NOK, OAK, RAD, T, WFC

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (JCP, AMSC, EGO, NVDA, M, HCSG, PGR, ADTN, MSW, FAST, RAD, MFRM, TITN, DVR, NOK)

Paul Ausick — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 20:03:36 +0000

Markets opened higher this morning following the pleasant surprise earnings report from Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA) after markets closed yesterday (our coverage here). The report on US crude oil inventories showed a relatively modest gain this week, boosting crude prices (our coverage here). Based on better expectations for quarterly earnings and mildly better news on the global economy, investors took on more risk today, driving up Treasury yields in the bargain. The US dollar index fell slightly today, now down -0.09% at 79.788. The GSCI commodity index is down about -1.5% at 674.42, with orange juice again leading the decliners. WTI crude oil closed up 1.7% at $102.70/barrel, and Brent crude trades up 0.12% at $120.02/barrel. Gold settled down just -$0.40 today, at $1,660.30/ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up more than 90 points to 12,806.15 (0.71%), the NASDAQ rose more than 25 points (0.84%) to 3,016.46, and the S&P 500 rose 0.75% or more than 10 points to 1,368.79.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including J.C. Penney & Co. (NYSE: JCP) started as ‘neutral’ at UBS; American Superconductor Corp. (NASDAQ: AMSC) started as ‘buy’ at Maxim Group; Eldorado Gold Corp. (NYSE: EGO) raised to ‘buy’ at Canaccord Genuity; Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ: NVDA) started as ‘outperform’ at RBC; and Macy’s Inc. (NYSE: M) started as ‘neutral’ at UBS.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: Alcoa is up 6.2% at $9.90; Health Care Services Group Inc. (NASDAQ: HCSG) is up 7.2% at $21.47; Progressive Corp. (NYSE: PGR) is down -0.6% at $22.61; and Adtran Inc. (NASDAQ: ADTN) is up 7.5% at $30.61. After the markets close today we will hear from Mission West Properties Inc. (NASDAQ: MSW) among others. Before the markets open tomorrow morning we get earnings from Fastenal Corp. (NASDAQ: FAST) and Rite Aid Corp. (NYSE: RAD).

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

Mattress Firm Holding Co. (NASDAQ: MFRM) is up more than 17% at $43.89 after posting a new 52-week high of $45.42 earlier today. The retailing company posted good earnings and announced an acquisition. More coverage here.

Titan Machinery Inc. (NASDAQ: TITN) is up more than 17% at $32.20 after posting a new 52-week high of $33.35. The farm machinery company shattered earnings expectations.

Cal Div International Inc. (NYSE: DVR) is up more than 13% at 3.71. The offshore oil field services firm has announced that it will be a 40% partner in the Cape Wind project offshore of Massachusetts.

Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) is down more than -16% at $4.21, a new 52-week low. The cell phone maker warned on earnings this morning and is fixing a glitch in its new Lumia 900 phone. Even more coverage here.

Stay tuned for Wednesday. New York Fed President William Dudley, Philadelphia Fed President Charles Plosser, Minneapolis Fed President Naryana Kocherlakota, and Federal Reserve governor Sarah Bloom Raskin are all giving speeches. We have noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

8:30 a.m. – International trade statistics
8:30 a.m. – New claims for unemployment benefits
8:30 a.m. – Producer price index
10.30 a.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: Active Trader, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: ADTN, AMSC, DVR, EGO, FAST, HCSG, JCP, M, MFRM, MSW, NOK, NVDA, PGR, RAD, TITN

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (CHK, GOOG, KR, LNG, CCL, CREE, SCHW, FAST, GS, STT, CLWT, UEPS, COOL, KUTV, AAPL, MCD, NKE)

Paul Ausick — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 21:08:22 +0000

Markets opened slightly lower in the US this morning, but picked up steam in the morning and continued to rise, if slowly, for the rest of the day. The tech sector showed the most strength, with semiconductor stocks rising sharply and pushing the NASDAQ Composite index up more than 1.4% about half an hour before the closing bell. Financial stocks also did well today, and the euro rose back above $1.28 following a report that the IMF wants to increase its lending capacity to around $885 billion. Crude is mixed today, with WTI up fractionally at $100.78/barrel and Brent down -0.65% at $110.81/barrel. Gold rose as well today to $1,658.90.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up nearly 97 points to 12,578.95 (0.78%), the NASDAQ rose nearly 42 points (1.53%) to 2,769.71, and the S&P 500 rose 1.11% or more than 14 points to 1,308.04.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Chesapeake Energy Corp. (NYSE: CHK) cut to ‘hold’ at Brean Murray; Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) cut to ‘market perform’ at Wells Fargo; The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) cut to ‘market perform’ at BMO Capital; Cheniere Energy Inc. (AMEX: LNG) started as ‘outperform’ with a $13.50 target price at Credit Suisse; and Carnival Corp. (NYSE: CCL) maintained as ‘hold’ but estimates cut at Argus.

Earnings reports since markets closed yesterday have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: Cree Inc. (NASDAQ: CREE) is up 4.3% at $24.33; The Charles Schwab Corp. (NYSE: SCHW) is down -1.3% at $12.00; Fastenal Co. (NASDAQ: FAST) is down -2.8% at $45.48; Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) is up 7.5% at $105.03; and State Street Corp. (NYSE: STT) is down -7% at $39.72.

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

Euro Tech Holdings Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: CLWT) is up nearly 53% at $3.91. The Hong Kong-based company has announced an 11-for-2 reverse stock split.

Net 1 UEPS Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: UEPS) is up more than 33% at $8.96. The South African software maker has announced a 5-year deal with the government’s social security agency.

Majesco Entertainment Co. (NASDAQ: COOL) is down more than -27% at $2.17. The video game maker forecast higher sales and marketing costs in 2012.

Ku6 Media Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: KUTV) is down nearly -18% at $2.71. The Chinese online video company rose more than 150% yesterday on the announcement of deal with Google. Today’s fall is likely due to profit-taking.

We also noted 10 stocks that posted new all-time highs today. These include Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD), and Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE). See our coverage here.

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

8:30 a.m. – Consumer price index
8:30 a.m. – Housing starts
8:30 a.m. – Initial unemployment benefits claims
10:00 a.m. – Philadelphia Federal Reserve business outlook survey
10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly natural gas inventory report
11:00 a.m. – EIA weekly petroleum status report
4:30 p.m. – Federal Reserve balance sheet and money supply

Paul Ausick

Filed under: Active Trader, Calendar, HI/LOW, Market Close, The Day Tagged: AAPL, CCL, CHK, CLWT, COOL, CREE, FAST, GOOG, GS, KR, KUTV, LNG, MCD, NKE, SCHW, STT, UEPS

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (AET, AMR, ADM, MT, BG, CINF, COH, EXPE, FAST, HGSI, NSIT, JNPR, KMB, PCLN, RYL, LCC, SAFM, WAG)

Jon C. Ogg — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 12:11:21 +0000

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

Aetna Inc. (NYSE: AET) Raised to Buy at Jefferies.
AMR Corp. (NYSE: AMR) Raised to Neutral at BofA/ML.
Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) Started as Equal-Weight at Barclays.
Arcelor Mittal (NYSE: MT) Cut to UNderperform at BNP Paribas.
Bunge Limited (NYSE: BG) STarted as Overweight at Barclays.
Cincinnati Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: CINF) Maintained Underperform as Bear of the Day at Zacks.
Coach Inc. (NYSE: COH) Raised to Buy at Jefferies.
Expedia Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) Started as Neutral at Credit Suisse.
Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST) Raised to Outperform as Bull of the Day at Zacks.
Human Genome Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ: HGSI) Started as Buy at Brean Murray.
Insight Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ: NSIT) Reiterated Buy as Value at Zacks.
Juniper Networks, Inc. (NYSE: JNPR) Raised to Outperform at Morgan Keegan.
Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NYSE: KMB) Raised to Equal-Weight at Barclays.
Priceline.com Incorporated (NASDAQ: PCLN) Started as Outperform with $720 target at Credit Suisse.
Ryland Group Inc. (NYSE: RYL) Raised to Neutral at Credit Suisse.
US Airways Group, Inc. (NYSE: LCC) Raised to Buy at BofA/ML.
Sanderson Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ: SAFM) Raised to Neutral at JPMorgan.
Walgreen Co. (NYSE: WAG) Cut to Underweight at Barclays.

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: ADM, AET, AMR, BG, CINF, COH, EXPE, FAST, HGSI, JNPR, KMB, LCC, MT, NSIT, PCLN, RYL, SAFM, WAG

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (ALU, MO, AIG, BBVA, DPZ, ETN, ELNK, FAST, MMM, MS, RCL, S, SBUX, VPRT)

Jon C. Ogg — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 12:24:06 +0000

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

Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) Cut to Sell at S&P Equity Research.
Altria Group Inc. (NYSE: MO) Raised to Buy at Stifel Nicolaus.
American International Group, Inc. (NYSE: AIG) Started as Hold at Citigroup.
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (NYSE: BBVA) Cut to Hold at Citigroup.
Domino’s Pizza Inc. (NYSE: DPZ) Reiterated Buy and raised target to $33 at Argus.
Eaton Corporation (NYSE: ETN) Reiterated Buy as Value at Zacks.
EarthLink Inc. (NASDAQ: ELNK) Raised to Strong Buy at S&P Equity Research.
Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST) Raised to Outperform as Bull of the Day at Zacks.
3M Co. (NYSE: MMM) Reiterated Buy with $108 target at Argus.
Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) Maintained Underperform as Bear of the Day at Zacks.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE: RCL) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan; Raised to Overweight at Barclays.
Sprint Nextel Corporation (NYSE: S) Maintained Outperform but cut target to $7 at Credit Suisse.
Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX) Reiterated Outperform and raised target to $48 at Credit Suisse.
Vistaprint N.V. (NASDAQ: VPRT) Cut to Perform at Oppenheimer.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: AIG, ALU, BBVA, DPZ, ELNK, ETN, FAST, MMM, MO, MS, RCL, S, SBUX, VPRT

Week’s Biggest Winners, JC Penny And Nine Others

Douglas A. McIntyre — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 11:48:14 +0000

Shares in JC Penney (NYSE: JCP) rose 14.5% for the week as the faltering retailer appointed Ron Johnson, who has run Apple’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) retail stores as its next CEO. The market should be troubled by the role that long-time chief Myron Ullman will play as executive chairman. The description of his duties is vague enough to beg the question of who is in charge.

Shares of Lorillard (NYSE: LO) moved higher by 10% because it appears that regulations of menthol cigarettes will not tighten. Shares of VF Corp (NYSE: VFC) also rose 10% as it bought retailer Timberland for $2 billion.

Douglas A. McIntyre

S&P 500 WEEK TOP 10 (10 JUN – 16 JUN)	Ticker	Weekly Price Change (%)	Close Price 16Jun11	Close Price 10Jun11	Market Cap ($Mil)
J. C. Penney Company Inc.	JCP	14.5	34.27	29.92	7405.7
Lorillard Inc	LO	10.0	109.85	99.85	15786.0
V.F. Corp	VFC	10.0	100.96	91.80	11044.8
CarMax Inc	KMX	7.2	28.76	26.84	6495.5
Tyson Foods Inc.	TSN	5.6	18.08	17.12	5595.6
Best Buy Co. Inc.	BBY	5.6	30.01	28.43	11665.4
Tenet Healthcare Corp	THC	5.4	6.23	5.91	3049.9
Fastenal Co	FAST	4.8	32.46	30.97	9571.2
HCP Inc	HCP	4.7	36.69	35.03	14897.1
Cabot Oil & Gas Corp	COG	4.5	60.43	57.83	6312.9
Source: Capital IQ

Filed under: Analyst Calls, Research Tagged: BBY, FAST, GOG, HCP, JCP, KMX, LO, THC, TSN, VFC

Top 10 Pre-Market Analyst Calls (ABB, CAH, EV, FAST, GE, MMC, PETM, SPW, V)

Douglas A. McIntyre — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 06:11:35 +0000

These are not the only analyst calls being seen this Monday in pre-market hours, but these are the top calls that 247WallSt.com is focusing on so far this morning:

ABB (NYSE: ABB) cut to Equalweight From Overweight at Lehman.
Cardinal Health (NYSE: CAH) removed from Conviction Buy List but maintained Buy at Goldman Sachs.
Eaton Vance (NYSE: EV) Raised to Neutral from Underweight at JPMorgan.
Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) Cut to Neutral from Buy at Piper Jaffray.
General Electric (NYSE: GE) downgraded to Perform from Outperform at Oppenheimer; cut to Peer Perform from outperform at Bear Stearns.
Marsh & McLennan (NYSE: MMC) Raised to Outperform at KBW.
PETsMART (NASDAQ: PETM) raised to Buy from Neutral at Banc of America.
SPX Corp (NYSE: SPW) cut to Hold at Deutsche Bank.
Visa (NYSE: V) started as Outperform at KBW.

Jon C. Ogg
April 14, 2008