24/7 Wall St. » FFIV

Morning Movers (PLXS, NTCT, HSOL, FFIV, JCI)

Paul Ausick — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:40:16 +0000

There are several stocks trading more heavily than usual this morning, and also experiencing large gains or drops in share prices. These include Plexus Corp. (NASDAQ: PLXS), NetScout Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: NTCT), Hanwha SolarOne Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: HSOL), F5 Networks Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV), and Johnson Controls Inc. (NYSE: JCI)

After the first hour of trading, Plexus is up more than 13% at $37.64. Volume has already topped the daily average of 312,000 shares traded. The contract electronics manufacturer beat earnings estimates and has forecast higher revenues for the current quarter.

NetScout is up nearly 12% at $19.03. Volume is already higher than the daily average of 280,000 shares traded. The services delivery management company delivered better-than-expected revenues and earnings but lowered its EPS and revenue estimates for the full fiscal year.

Hanwha SolarOne is up nearly 9% at $2.04. Volume is near the average daily volume of 1.02 million shares traded. The solar panel maker is rising on expectations that prices have stabilized and that shipments will rise.

F5 Networks is up more than 11% at $120.89. Volume is already more than double the daily average of about 1.9 million shares traded. The network software maker reported better-than-expected quarterly revenues and earnings.

Johnson Controls is down more than -8% at $32.62. Volume is already nearly double the daily average of 4.7 million shares traded. The auto parts and control systems supplier posted solid earnings, but lowered forecasts.

Paul Ausick

Filed under: Earnings, Market Roundups, The Day Tagged: FFIV, HSOL, JCI, NTCT, PLXS

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (T, FFIV, URBN, AMGN, BAX, CAG, GIS, NAV, SAFM, JEF, NKE, ORCL, TRGT, CIE, CSIQ, PBH, HOV, CVS)

Paul Ausick — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 21:06:30 +0000

US equity markets opened sharply higher this morning and have been able to sustain and even add to those gains throughout the day. Business and consumer confidence indexes in Europe were higher, giving an early boost to share prices. Then an unexpectedly large jump in new housing starts, especially multi-family dwellings, put an extra charge into investors. Proposed Federal Reserve rules governing big banks have had little impact on financial stocks, which are up about 4% in the late afternoon. Today’s auction of five-year Treasury went out at 0.880%, a record low yield. Crude oil is also sharply higher today, with WTI trading at $97.22/barrel, up more than 3.5%, and Brent is up 3.34% at $106.98. The US dollar has traded weaker all day today. Gold settled on the Comex up about 1.3%, at $1,616.80.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up nearly 336 points to 12,101.92 (2.85%), the NASDAQ rose more than 80 points (3.19%) to 2,603.73, and the S&P 500 rose 2.98% or nearly 36 points to 1,241.22.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) cut to ‘neutral’ at JPMorgan. Other ratings actions today include F5 Networks Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV) cut from ‘perform’ to ‘underperform’ at Oppenheimer; Urban Outfitters Inc. (NASDAQ: URBN) raised from ‘outperform’ to ‘Top Pick’ at FBR Capital; Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ: AMGN) added to ‘Strong Buy List’ at Zacks; and Baxter International Inc. (NYSE: BAX) lowered from ‘Top Pick List’ to ‘outperform’ and target price lowered from $61 to $58 at RBC Capital Markets.

Here are today’s post-earnings news reactions with prices during the last half-hour of trading: ConAgra Foods Inc. (NYSE: CAG) is up 4% at $26.18; General Mills Inc. is down about -1% at $39.19; Navistar International Corp. (NYSE: NAV) is up nearly 7% at $39.05; Sanderson Farms Inc. (NASDAQ: SAFM) is down -4% at $48.66; and Jefferies Group Inc. (NYSE: JEF) is up more than 22% at $14.46. After markets close today we get earnings from Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) and Oracle Corp. (NASDAQ: ORCL). See our 360 coverage on Oracle here and coverage of the ConAgra and General Mills reports here.

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

Targacept Inc. (NASDAQ: TRGT) is down more than -35% at $5.01, after posting a new 52-week low of $4.92 earlier in the day. The pharmaceutical maker’s anti-depressant drug, developed in conjunction with AstraZeneca plc (NYSE: AZN) has failed a late-stage trial.

Cobalt International Energy Inc. (NYSE: CIE) is up nearly 38% at $13.81. The oil & gas exploration company has signed a production-sharing agreement for a block offshore of Angola. Cobalt owns 40% of the project and is the operator.

Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSIQ) is up nearly 33% at $2.93. The solar panel maker has sold about 86 megawatts of generation to TransCanada Corp. (NYSE: TRP) for approximately $455 million.

Prestige Brand Holdings Inc. (NYSE: PBH) is up nearly 21% at $11.27. The drug and cleaning supplies company paid $660 million for a selection of nonprescription drugs from GlaxoSmithKline PLC (NYSE: GSK).

Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. (NYSE: HOV) is up more than 18% at $1.50. The home builder is riding the wave of good news about new housing starts.

CVS Caremark Corp. (NYSE: CVS) is up about 9% at $39.85, after posting a new 52-week high earlier of $39.86. The healthcare company raised fiscal year guidance and boosted its quarterly dividend by 30%, to $0.1625/share.

Stay tuned for Wednesday. The most widely anticipated report for tomorrow is due at 8:30 a.m. from the National Association of Realtors, which will be revising its new home sales data from 2007 forward. Lower sales of up to -13% are expected. Here are other noteworthy events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

7:00 a.m. – Mortgage Bankers Association purchase applications
10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly petroleum status report
1:00 p.m. – 7-year Treasury note auction

Paul Ausick

Filed under: HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: AMGN, BAX, CAG, CIE, CSIQ, CVS, FFIV, GIS, HOV, JEF, NAV, NKE, ORCL, PBH, SAFM, T, TRGT, URBN

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (AMGN, T, BAX, BHP, FFIV, AWAY, M, MAA, NVLS, OPEN, SFD, URBN, WWWW)

Administrator — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:35:49 +0000

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

Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ: AMGN) Added to Strong Buy List at Zacks Investment Research.
AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.
Baxter International Inc. (NYSE: BAX) Reduced to Outperform from the “Top Pick” and target lowered to $58 from $61 by RBC Capital Markets.
BHP Billiton Ltd. (NYSE: BHP) cut to Underperform and named as Bear of the Day at Zacks Investment Research.
F5 Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV) Raised to Outperform from Perform at Oppenheimer.
HomeAway, Inc. (NASDAQ: AWAY) Started as Neutral at Credit Suisse.
Macy’s Inc. (NYSE: M) named as value stock of the day at Zacks Investment Research.
Mid-America Apartment Communities Inc. (NYSE: MAA) Raised to Outperform at Keefe Bruyette & Woods.
Novellus Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: NVLS) Cut to Neutral from Overweight at JPMorgan.
OpenTable Inc. (NASDAQ: OPEN) Started as Outperform with a $49.00 price target objective at Credit Suisse.
Smithfield Foods Inc. (NYSE: SFD) named as Bull of the Day at Zacks Investment Research.
Urban Outfitters Inc. (NASDAQ: URBN) Raised to “Top Pick” from Outperform at FBR Capital Markets.
Web.com Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: WWWW) Started as Overweight at JPMorgan.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: AMGN, AWAY, BAX, BHP, FFIV, M, MAA, NVLS, OPEN, SFD, T, URBN, WWWW

The Ten Best S&P Stocks of October (SPY, JNPR, NBR, FFIV, DNR, HAR, JOYG, NOV, VLO, GT, EP)

Administrator — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:52:09 +0000

The month of October was a solid month for stocks, one of the best months of our lifetimes. We have two groups today and the first is the stocks which rose the most in the S&P 500 Index from the end of September to the end of October. The moves were more than impressive and the top ten had to rise more than 36% to even be in the screen from Capital IQ.

The SPDR S&P 500 (NYSE: SPY) rose by 10.9%. but the gain from trough to peak was far more. We have offered some color on each and shown how much implied upside is there to the Thomson Reuters consensus analyst price target as well. These gainers are listed lowest to highest on a percentage basis for the month.

Denbury Resources Inc. (NYSE: DNR) rose by 36.5% as shares rose from $11.50 to $15.70. Analysts have a consensus price target of $24.40. The company acquires and develops oil and gas properties in the Gulf Coast states. The company announced a $500 million share buyback during October, but it also announced that its President & COO has left the company.

Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE: VLO) saw a 38.4% gain as the stock rose from $17.78 at the end of September to $24.60 at the end of October. Analysts have a consensus price target of $31.50. Valero was the subject of buyout speculation and its shares have not really sold off after word came that one rumored acquirer was not looking o acquire it.

National Oilwell Varco Inc. (NYSE: NOV) saw a 39.3% rise from $51.22 at the end of September to $71.33 at October’s end. Analysts have a consensus price target of $89.75. If the offshore oil market is going to be opened back up, having a an offshore rig manufacturing business is going to be robust again.

Joy Global, Inc. (NASDAQ: JOYG) saw a gain of 39.8% from $62.38 on September 30 up to $87.20 at the end of October. Analysts have a consensus price target of $102.00.

Juniper Networks, Inc. NYSE: JNPR) rose by 41.8% in October $24.47 versus $17.26. The turnaround in networking is being seen in the stock. Analysts have a consensus price target of $25.03. Juniper has risen off of lows just as many other networking equipment players have seen.

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. (NYSE: GT) rolled on and on for a 42.3% gain as shares went from $10.09 at the end of September to $14.36 at the end of October. Analysts have a consensus price target of $18.69. Goodyear is back to profits and shares are actually still very cheap at about 7-times a blended forward P/E for 2011 and 2012 estimates.

El Paso Corp. (NYSE: EP) saw a 43.1% gain for the month but we would not that this is due mostly to the acquisition of the company.

F5 Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV) had a very large run as the network equipment player bounced hard off its lows. A move from $71.05 at the end of September to $103.95 was up 46.3%. Analysts have a consensus price target of $106.67.

Nabors Industries Ltd. (NYSE: NBR) was one of the top performers for October as the shares rose from $12.26 to $18.33, generating a 49.5% gain. The $100 million payout for the CEO exit is under criticism, but the oil and gas driller did beat earnings and has reorganized its management structure. Analysts have a consensus price target of $27.33.

Harman International Industries Inc. (NYSE: HAR) saw a rise of 51.5% as the stock rose from $28.53 on a dividend-adjusted basis up to $43.16. Analysts have a consensus price target of $47.25. In late October came word of higher 2012 guidance as well as a buyback of up to $200 million in its stock over the next year.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: HI/LOW, Index, Trading Alert Tagged: DNR, EP, FFIV, GT, HAR, JNPR, JOYG, NBR, NOV, SPY, VLO

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (AMCX, AHT, BG, CTRN, XRAY, EK, EQY, FFIV, IVN, MFB, PDS, RVBD, RYAAY, SAFM, TUDO)

Administrator — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 12:15:03 +0000

These are some of this Tuesday’s top analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen having an impact from Wall Street research calls.

AMC Networks Inc. (NASDAQ: AMCX) Started as Sell at Stifel Nicolaus.
Ashford Hospitality Trust Inc. (NYSE: AHT) Started as Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Bunge Limited (NYSE: BG) Raised to Buy at Citigroup.
Citi Trends, Inc. (NASDAQ: CTRN) named Bear of the Day at Zacks.
DENTSPLY International (NASDAQ: XRAY) named Bull of the Day at Zacks.
Eastman Kodak Co. (NYSE: EK) Reiterated Hold at Argus.
Equity One Inc. (NYSE: EQY) Raised to Hold at Citigroup.
F5 Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV) Started as Hold at Jefferies.
Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. (NYSE: IVN) Raised to Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Maidenform Brands, Inc. (NYSE: MFB) named Value stock of the day at Zacks.
Precision Drilling Corporation (NYSE: PDS) Started as Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Riverbed Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: RVBD) Started as Underperform at Jefferies.
Ryanair Holdings plc (NASDAQ: RYAAY) Cut to Neutral at Goldman Sachs.
Sanderson Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ: SAFM) Added to Conviction Buy List at Goldman Sachs.
Tudou Holdings Limited (NASDAQ: TUDO) Started as Buy at Deutsche Bank.

With gold and silver bouncing after what looked like a bursting bubble, here is a list of the top-rated precious metals funds expected to win in uncertain times from Zacks.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: AHT, AMCX, BG, CTRN, EK, EQY, FFIV, IVN, MFB, PDS, RVBD, RYAAY, SAFM, TUDO, XRAY

America’s Most Dysfunctional Boards

247wallst — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 16:31:05 +0000

Some boards of directors of America’s largest public companies have shown such poor judgment guiding their troubled corporations that they have long stopped being effective. Just recently, the misguided actions of the boards of Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ), Bank of America (NYSE: BAC), and Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO) caused the stocks of all three to plunge. The three boards have failed in their attempts to elect effective CEOs and stumbled in their efforts to set sensible strategic directions for their companies. 24/7 Wall St. has named eight other companies whose boards are the most dysfunctional among those that run America’s largest companies.

Dysfunctional boards have helped create problems at large public companies that have lost billions of dollars in market value. Current SEC and other government agencies’ regulations make it almost impossible for shareholders to remove directors. Investors in these companies, therefore, have little choice. They can decide to live with these boards, or — if they think the governance of the companies will not get any better — sell their stock.

To find the most dysfunctional boards, 24/7 Wall St. looked at the S&P 500 companies. We chose companies whose stock prices have fallen at least 33% over the last five years, but excluded those with revenues lower than $5 billion in 2010. Finally, the board troubles at Hewlett-Packard, Bank of America, and Yahoo! have been so well chronicled that we excluded them from the list as well.

Among the subjective guidelines 24/7 Wall St. editors used to further determine the effectiveness of a board was the length of service among board members. Boards with long-serving board members can be an impediment to change if companies run into troubles, such as in the case of GE. (NYSE: GS) Another factor we looked at was whether a company’s board supported a poor performing CEO for several years, as in the case of Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS). Ironically, the reverse — electing too many CEOs — may also indicate a dysfunctional board. This is a sign the board cannot effectively choose chief executives and strategies that will help its company return value to shareholders consistently, such as in the case of Hewlett-Packard. 24/7 Wall St. came up with eight “American Companies With The Most Dysfunctional Boards”.

Filed under: Corporate Governance, General, Management Change Tagged: AMD, AMZN, ARUN, BAC, BBY, CSCO, FFIV, GE, GS, HD, HPQ, INTC, JNPR, LOW, MCO, S, SHLD, T, TGT, WMT, YHOO

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

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

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

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

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

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: AAPL, AEO, ARBA, BHP, CASY, CHU, FFIV, GAME, GOL, HPQ, KMT, ODFL, SAP, SILC, SNCR, SPRD

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (AET, AIXG, CTSH, FFIV, GDOT, HFC, ITW, IBM, LXK, MWV, NTAP, OPTR, ORCL, PIR, TYC, UA, UIS, V, VMW, GWW)

Administrator — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 12:18:37 +0000

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

Aetna Inc. (NYSE: AET) Reiterated Buy with $51 target at Argus.
Aixtron SE (NASDAQ: AIXG) Raised to Buy at Goldman Sachs.
Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ: CTSH) Removed from Conviction Buy List at Goldman Sachs.
F5 Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV) Raised to Neutral at Goldman Sachs.
Green Dot Corporation (NYSE: GDOT) Raised to Buy at Goldman Sachs.
HollyFrontier Corporation (NYSE: HFC) Reiterated Buy as Value at Zacks.
Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE: ITW) Cut to Underperform at BofA/ML.
International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE: IBM) Raised to Buy at Goldman Sachs.
Lexmark International Inc. (NYSE: LXK) Cut to Sell at Goldman Sachs.
MeadWestvaco Corporation (NYSE: MWV) Raised to Buy at BofA/ML.
NetApp, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTAP) Raised to Overweight at Piper Jaffray.
Optimer Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: OPTR) Maintained Outperform as Bull of the Day at Zacks.
Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ: ORCL) Raised to Top Pick at FBR.
Pier 1 Imports, Inc. (NYSE: PIR) Cut to Equal-Weight at Barclays.
Tyco International Ltd. (NYSE: TYC) Raised to Buy at BofA/ML.
Under Armour, Inc. (NYSE: UA) Raised to Outperform at FBR.
Unisys Corporation (NYSE: UIS) Cut to Underperform as Bear of the Day at Zacks.
Visa, Inc. (NYSE: V) Raised to Conviction Buy List at Goldman Sachs.
VMware Inc. (NYSE: VMW) Raised to Outperform at Credit Suisse.
W.W. Grainger Inc. (NYSE: GWW) Raised to Buy at BofA/ML.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Annual Report Tagged: AET, AIXG, CTSH, FFIV, GDOT, GWW, HFC, IBM, ITW, LXK, MWV, NTAP, OPTR, ORCL, PIR, TYC, UA, UIS, V, VMW

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (ADBE, ALU, ARMH, BBBY, BP, BRCM, BRCD, LFC, DISCA, EIX, FFIV, LPS, ERIC, M, NKA, ORCL, SLM, HOT)

Administrator — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 12:23:18 +0000

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

Adobe Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE) Cut to Underperform at RBC.
Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) Reiterated Hold at Argus.
ARM Holdings plc (NASDAQ: ARMH) Cut to Underperform at BofA/ML.
Bed Bath & Beyond, Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBY) Raised to Outperform at Oppenheimer.
BP plc (NYSE: BP) Cut to Neutral at Goldman Sachs.
Broadcom Corp. (NASDAQ: BRCM) Started as Market Perform at William Blair.
Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: BRCD) Reiterated Hold and Cut estimates at Argus.
China Life Insurance Co. Ltd. (NYSE: LFC) Raised to Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Discovery Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: DISCA) Raised to Buy at Citigroup.
Edison International (NYSE: EIX) Raised to Outperform at Credit Suisse.
F5 Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV) Raised to Outperform at William Blair.
Lender Processing Services (NYSE: LPS) named Bear of the Day at Zacks.
LM Ericsson Telephone Co. (NASDAQ: ERIC) Raised to Buy at BofA/ML.
Macy’s, Inc. (NYSE: M) Reiterated Buy as Value at Zacks.
Niska Gas Storage Partners LLC (NYSE: NKA) Cut to Sector Perform at RBC.
Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ: ORCL) Cut to Sector Perform at RBC.
SLM Corporation (NYSE: SLM) Raised to Outperform as Bull of the Day at Zacks.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. (NYSE: HOT) Cut to Hold at Jefferies.

Thursday’s top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations were in AAP, ADM, COF, CVX, CSCO, CREE, IDTI, ISRG, KGC, NOV, NYX, TEVA, TDW, WYN.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: ADBE, ALU, ARMH, BBBY, BP, BRCD, BRCM, DISCA, EIX, ERIC, FFIV, HOT, LFC, LPS, M, NKA, ORCL, SLM

24/7 Wall St. Top 10 Analyst Calls of the Week (BIIB, BSX, FFIV, FSLR, FFN, MCP, RAI, SATC, SIRI, PCX)

Administrator — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 14:33:09 +0000

Each morning we cover many analyst upgrades and downgrades which we think will have an impact on the underlying stocks and sectors. After each week we review those research calls and other research calls to see which ones really stood out or which ones had the most impact on each company and sector. Suddenly, we end up with the top analyst calls of the week.

The Top Ten Analyst Calls of the Week were in shares of Biogen Idec Inc. (NASDAQ: BIIB); Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX); F5 Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV); First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR); FriendFinder Networks Inc. (NASDAQ: FFN); Molycorp, Inc. (NYSE: MCP); Reynolds American Inc. (NYSE: RAI); SatCon Technology Corporation (NASDAQ: SATC); and SIRIUS XM Radio Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI). There was also a standout coal sector call, with a particular highlight in Patriot Coal Corporation (NYSE: PCX).

We have shown some added detail on the summaries, included price impact and target data ahead, and included additional color if applicable. If the calls were much more detailed or broader we also included a link to more data.

Biogen Idec Inc. (NASDAQ: BIIB) is a strange situation. We asked on Monday if it was getting too expensive based upon valuation after ISI Group raised its rating to BUY from HOLD on Monday, but shares rose almost 10% for the week to $103.42. The stock actually rose every day this week and it received multiple analyst upgrades: Raised to Hold from Sell at S&P Equity Research; Raised to Outperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse; Raised to Buy from Hold at Deutsche Bank. If it is too expensive, analysts believe it can get much more expensive now.

Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) is supposed to be a winner from J&J’s stent exit but this company remains in perpetual turnaround mode. Moody’s lifted its corporate credit rating to positive, implying that its “Ba1″ rating could be moved to Baa3 or better and that would make it investment grade again. We had a duel between two equity analysts this week:

UBS cut its rating to Neutral from Buy with a $7.65 target;
Stifel Nicolaus started coverage with a Buy rating and a $9.00 price target.

Shares of Boston Scientific closed up almost 2% at $6.89 for the week but that was after a 2.8% drop on Friday after the UBS cut and with a weak market.

F5 Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV) has been a controversial stock since its meteoric rise came tumbling down. This week brought an analyst duel with a key upgrade and a key downgrade: JPMorgan cut its rating to Neutral with a $105 price target while Barclays raised its rating to Overweight with a $125 price target. The stock closed up about 10% at $106.10 on the week and is still down considerably from its $145.76 high.

First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) had a rough week closing at $116.56 versus $121.55 the Friday before. Morningstar included it in a sector downgrade with a call for more solar weakness ahead. Lower oil prices did not help. JPMorgan also cut estimates and its target to $105 and a company called Maxim Group issued a sell rating. Meanwhile, TheStreet gave a competing list of value stocks in solar with much more upside.

Filed under: Analyst Calls, The Week Tagged: BIIB, BSX, FFIV, FFN, FSLR, MCP, PCX, RAI, SATC, SIRI