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Top Wall Street Analyst Upgrades: Disney, Petrobras, Others

Jon C. Ogg — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:30:55 +0000

Investors and traders are always on the lookout 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 from value stocks to growth stocks to dividend stocks. We are breaking out the positive analyst calls as far as stocks to buy and positive research calls today.

These are some of this Monday’s top analyst upgrades, initiations and positive analyst research calls seen from Wall Street today.

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF) was raised to Outperform from Neutral at Macquarie.

FLIR Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: FLIR) was raised to Neutral from Underweight at J.P. Morgan.

Lifepoint Hospitals Inc. (NASDAQ: LPNT) was raised to Buy from Neutral at UBS.

Madison Square Garden Inc. (NASDAQ: MSG) was initiated as an Outperform with a $68 price target at Credit Suisse.

Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (NYSE: PBR) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Bank of America/Merrill Lynch.

PVH Corp. (NYSE: PVH) was maintained as Outperform but added to the Focus List at Credit Suisse.

SunTrust Banks Inc. (NYSE: STI) was raised to Outperform from Market Perform at FBR Capital Markets.

Tenet Healthcare Corp. (NYSE: THC) was raised to Outperform from Neutral at Baird.

Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) was raised to Buy from Neutral at UBS.

Here are six stock picks from Merrill Lynch expected to avoid the Sell in May and Go Away trend.

Filed under: Active Trader, Analyst Calls, Value Investing Tagged: ANF, DIS, FLIR, LPNT, MSG, PBR, PVH, STI, THC

American Counterterrorism and Homeland Security Companies

Jon C. Ogg — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:35:06 +0000

It feels almost like the news flow from 11 years ago is repeating itself, as terrorism is back in the headlines and in the breaking news in America. First it was the dual explosions at the Boston Marathon. Now we have news that a letter sent to Senator Wicker in Washington D.C. has tested positive for ricin poison, bringing back the memories of the multiple anthrax letters of the past. News reports are even starting to talk about “suspicious packages at airports” because the news agencies are reporting these again.

We have expanded our list of American companies that provide counterterrorism and of public companies selling to law enforcement and to the Department of Homeland Security.

Some things are going to be obvious. Airport security and security at public events will be now be on higher alert. If the trends of terrorism and sabotage keep escalating, Americans almost certainly will have to deal with more audio and video surveillance, hazardous materials suits being shown in the news, and increased monitoring of all sorts. These trends are likely to bring increased orders for companies that serve the intelligence and law enforcement communities.

The companies we have identified manufacture and sell products or offer services that fall under law enforcement and under Homeland Security. Some of these are spread into other areas, and we did not include the big corporate giants that have 2% or so tied to these markets. Note that some of these companies are very small, and some have declining revenue due to lower security expenses in recent years.

Alliant Techsystems Inc. (NYSE: ATK) may be thought of for rocket boosters and propulsion for air and space technologies, but the company also happens to be the largest bullet manufacturer in America for the military, law enforcement and Joe Public. The company supplies bullets and ammunition to the Department of Justice, FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Armed Forces and others. ATK operates the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant and recently announced the delivery of 2 billion 7.62 mm rounds to the U.S. Army. ATK’s value is almost $2.4 billion, and it is expected to generate about $4.3 billion in sales in 2013.

American Science & Engineering Inc. (NASDAQ: ASEI) scans for bombs and weapons in transportation systems. It is also involved in mail room screening as well, and any more ricin poison being sent in the mail should increase its public exposure. That being said, revenue has been in decline. This company has a market value of about $492 million, and 2012 annual sales were $203.5 million and expected to drop ahead.

Command Security Corp. (NYSEMKT: MOC) is tiny, as its market value is only about $16 million, but sales in fiscal 2012 were $141 million. The company claims to have 6,000 highly trained personnel for airport security, banks, government offices, health care facilities and other corporate and enterprise security.

FLIR Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: FLIR) handles various degrees of imaging via night-time vision, thermal imaging, chemical and biological detection, explosives detection and more. With a market value of about $3.5 billion, it has expected sales for 2013 projected to be more than $1.5 billion.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ: KTOS) is considered to be a national security technology player selling products, services and solutions for security in the United States. While diversified, Kratos recently announced contracts to deploy specialized security systems for mass transportation, rail and critical infrastructure awards. The company has a market value of about $285 million, and it is expected to have sales of close to $975 million in 2013.

L-3 Communications Holdings Inc. (NYSE: LLL) is an amalgamation of command, control, communications, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance products and services. The company has made many acquisitions over the past decade, and it is involved in many other defense applications. L-3 has a market value of about $7.3 billion, and it is expected to generate $12.6 billion in sales in 2013.

Lakeland Industries Inc. (NASDAQ: LAKE) is very small, but it makes chemical protective clothing, disposable protective clothing, safety gloves, turnout gear, high visibility clothing, flame and heat-resistant clothing and other items. Its value is a mere $19 million, and this one is often skipped or overlooked because of its size and liquidity. Sales are running at just under $100 million per year.

NICE Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ: NICE) is a software company that captures and analyzes interactions and transactions in order to realize intent and to extract and leverage insights real-time. Technically this is not an American company, as it is based in Israel, but the company claims that about 25,000 organizations in 150 countries are direct or indirect clients. Its market value is $2.1 billion, and 2012 sales were almost $880 million, but note that the company is diversified in many segments.

OSI Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: OSIS) is a real player involved in homeland security, health care, defense and aerospace industries. In this aspect, it is known well for its Rapiscan Systems for security screening in airports, ports and buildings. OSI has a market value of about $1.1 billion and is expected to have 2013 sales of more than $830 million.

Raytheon Co. (NYSE: RTN) may still best be known for its Patriot Missiles and their more modern replacements, but it is also involved in integrated communications and intelligence. This ranges from seeing through walls and to communications monitoring via its Applied Signal Technology acquisition in recent years for its advanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems and services. Raytheon is worth about $18.7 billion, and sales are expected to be about $23.8 billion in 2013.

Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: SWHC) and Sturm, Ruger & Co. Inc. (NYSE: RGR) are the two public company gun leaders in America. It sure seems that recent events may drive yet another round of strong gun demand. Gun control legislation also remains up in the air after 14 people were stabbed at a college in Houston and with two bombs going off in Boston. It is possible that the argument against gun ownership may have lost some of its bite. Smith & Wesson is worth about $560 million, and the expected 2013 sales are about $580 million. Sturm Ruger has a market value of about $934 million and is expected to have sales of about $514 million in 2013.

TASER International Inc. (NASDAQ: TASR) makes the tasers, or stun guns, for law enforcement. It is hard to know if terror scares will lift its unit orders, and this company’s glory days were in 2003 to 2005, when the stock went from less than $5 to $30 briefly. Its shares have traded sideways since for the most part, and it is very thinly covered by Wall St. TASER’s market value is still more than $410 million, and sales were almost $115 million in 2012.

Many of these companies have been beneficiaries in the past due to Homeland Security orders, counterterrorism and increased sales to law enforcement and enterprises. We are not trying to pick winners here, nor are we signaling that these are all stocks to buy. We strongly suggest that any investors looking to capitalize on this trend do some serious, deep-dive research of their own on these and other companies before taking any action.

Filed under: Active Trader, Aerospace & Defense, Cult Stock, Politics Tagged: ASEI, ATK, featured, FLIR, KTOS, LAKE, LLL, MOC, NICE, OSIS, RGR, RTN, SWHC, TASR

U.S. Companies That Track Terrorists, Aid Homeland Security and Sell to Law Enforcement

Jon C. Ogg — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:20:03 +0000

America lost its ability to ease into the thought that it was safe again on Monday after the Boston Marathon bombs killed three people and injured more than 100. This is very unfortunate, and for many of us it brings back the concerns and fears of 2001 to 2003. After Boston was hit with dual bombings around the finish line of the marathon, security levels were raised in New York, Washington D.C. and elsewhere. Now new reports have tied in other packages, and a report on Tuesday showed that a suspicious package has been found in LaGuardia Airport in New York City. President Obama has even said that the FBI is investigating this incident as though it is an act of terrorism.

Needless to say, you can bet that airport security and security at public events will be now be alerted and higher. If the trends do manage to escalate, America likely will have to deal with more audio and video surveillance, hazardous materials suits and more and more monitoring of all sorts. The long and short of the matter is that this will translate to increased orders for companies that serve the intelligence and law enforcement communities.

Alliant Techsystems Inc. (NYSE: ATK) is known for boosters and propulsion for air and space technologies, but the company also happens to be the largest bullet manufacturer in America for military, law enforcement and retail. It supplies bullets and ammunition to the Armed Forces, Department of Justice, FBI, Department of Homeland Security and others, and it operates the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant. The company even announced the delivery of 2 billion 7.62 mm rounds to the U.S. Army last September. ATK’s value is almost $2.4 billion and it is expected to generate about $4.3 billion in sales in 2013.

FLIR Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: FLIR) has remained independent and it handles various degrees of imaging via night-time vision, thermal imaging, chemical and biological detection, explosives detection and more. With a market value of more than $3.5 billion today, its expected sales for 2013 are projected to be more than $1.5 billion.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ: KTOS) is a national security technology company providing products, services and solutions for security in the United States. While diversified, Kratos recently announced contracts to deploy specialized security systems for mass transportation, rail and critical infrastructure awards. The company has a market value of about $285 million and it is expected to have sales of close to $975 million in 2013.

L-3 Communications Holdings Inc. (NYSE: LLL) has made many acquisitions after the 2001 to 2003 period, and it offers command, control, communications, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance products and services. It is also involved in many other defense applications. L-3 has a market value of about $7.3 billion, and it is expected to generate $12.6 billion in sales in 2013.

Lakeland Industries Inc. (NASDAQ: LAKE) is very small, but it makes chemical protective clothing, disposable protective clothing, safety gloves, turnout gear, high visibility clothing, flame and heat-resistant clothing and other items. Its value is a mere $19 million, and we would point out that this one is often skipped or overlooked because of its size and liquidity. Sales are running at just under $100 million per year.

OSI Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: OSIS) covers the homeland security, health care, defense and aerospace industries, but it is known for its Rapiscan Systems for security screening in airports, ports and buildings. It has a market value of about $1.1 billion and is expected to have 2013 sales of more than $830 million.

Raytheon Co. (NYSE: RTN) may still best be known for its Patriot Missiles and their more modern replacements, but do not forget some of its other outfits involved in integrated communications and intelligence. This ranges from seeing through walls to much more. Raytheon also acquired Applied Signal Technology in recent years for its advanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems and services. Raytheon is worth some $18.7 billion, and sales are expected to be about $23.8 billion in 2013.

Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: SWHC) and Sturm, Ruger & Co. Inc. (NYSE: RGR) are the two gun leaders in America and allied nations. We cannot help but wonder what this does for renewing gun demand ahead of gun control legislation. It seems that after 14 people were stabbed at a college in Houston just last week, and with two bombs going off, that the argument against gun ownership may have lost some of its bite. Smith & Wesson is worth about $560 million, and the expected 2013 sales are about $580 million. Sturm Ruger has a market value of about $934 million and is expected to have sales of about $514 million in 2013.

TASER International Inc. (NASDAQ: TASR) makes what you would call Tasers, or stun guns, for law enforcement. Whether its orders will increase as a result is probably up for debate, but its shares enjoyed glory days from 2003 to 2005, when the stock went from less than $5 to $30 briefly. Its shares have traded sideways for the most part, and it is very thinly covered by Wall St. TASER’s market value is still more than$410 million, and sales were almost $115 million in 2012.

There are many other companies that will stand to benefit if the spending around terrorism, homeland defense, surveillance and espionage rises in the near future. We are not trying to pick winners here by any means. Many information technology, service holding companies and larger defense and warfare companies have many overlaps in homeland security.

Filed under: Aerospace & Defense, Infrastructure, Politics Tagged: ATK, featured, FLIR, KTOS, LAKE, LLL, OSIS, RGR, RTN, SWHC, TASR

EADS/BAE Merger: Waves of Consolidation, Antitrust and Problems for Global Aerospace and Defense

Jon C. Ogg — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 11:49:56 +0000

This proposed merger between EADS and BAE is going to be more than complicated. Frankly, we also wonder about the legality of such a merger and wonder how other defense and aerospace firms will not formally object to the deal. The combined deal will have many hurdles to overcome. It would be a combination of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company, which is the parent of Airbus, and the surviving company of the British Aerospace and Marconi Electronic Systems merger from the 1990s.

Investors are so far having a hard time accepting the deal as well. EADS shares fell 5.6% to 28.00 euro yesterday in Paris trading, and shares are down another 8% to 25.70 euro in local Paris trading today. BAE Systems saw its shares rise 10.6% to 363.6 pence in London trading on Wednesday, but shares are giving back much of those gains today with a drop of almost 6.5% to 340.10 pence in London trading.

In short, when stocks fall around a merger it is bad omen, and that is true regardless of the geographic location. If stocks are expected to still return 5% to 8% per year, then EADS just created a situation where any new shareholders who bought will have to wait two years or more just to get back to even.

Analysts do not like the merger either. Deutsche Bank downgraded shares of EADS overseas today due to an overhang and uncertainties due to a distractive and complex situation.Deutsche Bank did maintain a Buy rating on BAE. Citigroup has also downgraded EADS to Neutral on the risks associated with this merger. Barclays also keyed in and recommended taking profits in BAE Systems with the note that it expects EADS shares to struggle even if the deal could create value for both companies. Another firm, called Investec, recommended that BAE shareholders take their profits here and look for excess gains elsewhere as the BAE share price is likely limited. Societe Generale downgraded BAE Systems to a Sell rating on the gains seen already.

According to Yahoo! Finance, the respective market caps in dollar-converted terms from British pounds and euros puts the value at almost $18 billion for BAE and more than $27 billion for EADS. That brings a combined value of $45 billion or so. In comparison, Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA), which is a DJIA component, is worth some $55 billion. Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE: LMT) is worth just under $30 billion, and General Dynamics Corp. (NYSE: GD) is worth over $23 billion. Elsewhere, Raytheon Co. (NYSE: RTN) is worth about $19.1 billion and Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE: NOC) is worth about $16.7 billion.

As far as EADS is concerned, the share structure is complicated, with 50.14% ownership and voting rights tied to the French and Spanish governments and also Daimler; some 49.86% of the shares are considered the free float. With state ownership in play, we would throw out the caveat that it would seem likely that if the EU nations wanted the merger to go through then it is feasible that they would be able to “encourage” cooperation for approvals from the European regulatory bodies.

History is against this deal if the conspiracy of regulatory approval and cooperation is not considered. Will American and other NATO nations raise a flag over this deal? It seems likely. If you go back one decade or so you will recall that the European Union rather than the Department of Justice blocked General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) from acquiring Honeywell International Inc. (NYSE: HON) based on antitrust issues. If the Europeans can block a merger of two U.S. companies, it is feasible that the opposite could be possible. S&P Equity Research has said now that the deal would face a number of regulatory hurdles. The U.S. military agencies might also raise issues about how to ‘ringfence’ the U.S. operations in order to protect sensitive information and technology.

If this EADS/BAE merger is somehow allowed, we would expect that the investment community will start expecting a chain-reaction of defense and aerospace mergers as companies will go from having two powerful government-backed competitors to one much more giant competitor that is government backed. Here are some of the U.S. companies that are all under $10 billion in market cap that could fit within the realm of takeovers with overlaps in aerospace and defense, listed by market capitalization rates:

Rockwell Collins Inc. (NYSE: COL) at $7.3 billion
TransDigm Group Inc. (NYSE: TDG) at $7.3 billion
L-3 Communications Holdings Inc. (NYSE: LLL) at $6.9 billion
FLIR Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: FLIR) at $3.1 billion
HEICO Corp. (NYSE: HEI) at $1.9 billion
Esterline Technologies Corp. (NYSE: ESL) at $1.8 billion
Alliant Techsystems Inc. (NYSE: ATK) at $1.6 billion
GenCorp Inc. (NYSE: GY) at $600 million

Aerospace and defense mergers are not easy, and they often face more strict approvals and oversight due to the sensitivity of the contracts that are (or can be) involved in. That being said, the past two decades saw significant consolidation in the sectors. Two ETFs in the aerospace and defense sectors are PowerShares Aerospace & Defense (NYSEMKT: PPA) and iShares Dow Jones US Aerospace & Defense (NYSEMKT: ITA), but the holdings are similar, as you would expect, and the trading volume is light on each.

We have not even touched on how future austerity measures and lower military and government spending are concerned around influence over politicians and foreign policies. That is another matter entirely.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Aerospace & Defense, Mergers & Acquisitions Tagged: ATK, BA, COL, ESL, FLIR, GD, GE, GY, HEI, HON, ITA, LLL, LMT, NOC, PPA, RTN, TDG

Nasdaq Shuffles Q-50 Index (NDAQ, ADI, FTNT, IACI, LECO, NTES, PDCO, ARMH, FLIR, GNTX, RGLD)

Paul Ausick — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 13:41:14 +0000

The Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. (NASDAQ: NDAQ) will make some changes to its Nasdaq Q-50 index next Monday, June 18th. The index will add Analog Devices Inc. (NASDAQ: ADI), Fortinet Inc. (NASDAQ: FTNT), IAC/InterActiveCorp (NASDAQ: IACI), Lincoln Electric Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: LECO), NetEase Inc. (NASDAQ: NTES), and Patterson Companies Inc. (NASDAQ: PDCO) to the Q-50.

The change will lead to the removal of four firms from the index: ARM Holdings plc (NASDAQ: ARMH), FLIR Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: FLIR), Gentex Corp. (NASDAQ: GNTX), and Royal Gold Inc. (NASDAQ: RGLD).

The Q-50 index tracks the performance of 50 stocks that are next in line to replace securities on the Nasdaq-100 index. The Q-50 is adjusted quarterly.

Filed under: Active Trader, Banking & Finance, Exchange News, Index Tagged: ADI, ARMH, FLIR, FTNT, GNTX, IACI, LECO, NDAQ, NTES, PDCO, RGLD

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (COP, GILD, AMSC, MA, COH, LNKD, ATVI, CPST, GPRE, KONA, TRLG, LGF, MOVE, NBL, PCYC, ALU, FLIR, RUTH, FSLR, CIE, TBAC, RPXC, AMRS)

Paul Ausick — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:07:37 +0000

All three major US stock indexes opened lower this morning and the day was mostly a gentle slide for the rest of the trading session. The failed Greek debt deal weighed on futures this morning and nothing came along during the day to lift anyone’s spirits. US consumer sentiment fell slightly in January, the US trade deficit grew, and the federal budget deficit shrank, but now by enough to ignite buyers. Remarks by Fed chairman Bernanke on how to fix the housing mess didn’t offer anything new either. With equities and commodities all lower, the dollar index rose 0.523% today to 79.140. Crude oil is down today, with WTI down -1.04% at $98.80/barrel and Brent down -1.05% at $117.35/barrel. Gold settled down -0.9% at $1,725.30/ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down more than 89 points to 12,801.23 (-0.69%), the NASDAQ fell more than 23 points (-0.8%) to 2,903.88, and the S&P 500 fell -0.69% or more than 9 points to 1,342.64.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) raised to ‘buy’ at Deutsche Bank; Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ: GILD) started as ‘overweight’ at both Barclays and Morgan Stanley; American Superconductor Corp. (NASDAQ: AMSC) raised to ‘buy’ at Goldman Sachs; Mastercard Inc. (NYSE: MA) reiterated as ‘buy’ and target price raised to $450 at Argus; and Coach Inc. (NYSE: COH) started as ‘buy’ at Citigroup.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: LinkedIn Corp. (NASDAQ: LNKD) is up more than 18% at $90.44 (more coverage here); Activision Blizzard Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) is down -2.84% at $12.30; Capstone Turbine Corp. (NASDAQ: CPST) is down -9.8% at $1.26; Green Plains Renewable Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: GPRE) is down -3.5% at $11.20; Kona Grill Inc. (NASDAQ: KONA) is down -3.8% at $6.05; True Religion Apparel Inc. (NASDAQ: TRLG) is down more than -27% at $26.75; Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. (NYSE: LGF) is up 6.5% at $11.73 after posting a new 52-week high of $12.24 earlier today; Move Inc. (NASDAQ: MOVE) is up 14% at $8.65; Noble Energy Inc. (NYSE: NBL) is down -2.7% at $100.70; Pharmacyclics Inc. (NASDAQ: PCYC) is up more than 14% at $22.65 after posting a new 52-week high of $23.57 earlier today; Alcatel Lucent (NYSE: ALU) is up more than 13% at $2.2 (more coverage here); FLIR Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: FLIR) is down -3.3% at $24.90; and Ruth’s Hospitality Group Inc. (NASDAQ: RUTH) is up 3.2% at $6.19.

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) is down more than -10% at $43.94. The thin-film solar panel maker is having trouble meeting a financing requirement related to the sale of one of its solar farms to Exelon Corp. (NYSE: EXC). More coverage here.

Tandy Brands Accessories Inc. (NASDAQ: TBAC) is up nearly 71% at $1.77. The clothing accessories maker announced strong earnings and two new brand licensing agreements today.

Cobalt International Energy Inc. (NYSE: CIE) is up 35% at $32.27 after posting a new 52-week high of $36.51 earlier today. The independent oil & gas producer reported significantly better-than-expected flows from a test well offshore of Angola.

RPX Corp. (NASDAQ: RPXC) is up more than 11% at $19.21. The patent risk management company has a contract with Alcatel Lucent that could be very valuable as the larger company begins more aggressively to license its 29,000 patents.

Amyris Inc. (NASDAQ: AMRS) is down more than -28% at $6.95 after posting a new 52-week low of $6.85 earlier today. The biofuel maker’s stock was downgraded following a negative outlook from the company for 2012.

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

11:30 a.m. – 3- and 6-month Treasury bill auctions

Have a great weekend.

Paul Ausick

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire Tagged: ALU, AMRS, AMSC, ATVI, CIE, COH, COP, CPST, FLIR, FSLR, GILD, GPRE, KONA, LGF, LNKD, MA, MOVE, NBL, PCYC, RPXC, RUTH, TBAC, TRLG

Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades (AEP, AAPL, APOL, CNI, CEO, DD, FDO, FLIR, KLIC, LIZ, TKC, VZ, WYNN, YRCWD)

Jon C. Ogg — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 12:05:50 +0000

These are some of this Tuesday’s key analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen in Wall Street research calls.

American Electric Power Co., Inc. (NYSE: AEP) Cut to Hold at Jefferies.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) Reiterated Buy but target raised to $385 from $340 at Barclays.
Apollo Group Inc. (NASDAQ: APOL) Started as Neutral at UBS.
Canadian National Railway Co. (NYSE: CNI) Cut to Hold at Stifel Nicolaus.
CNOOC Ltd. (NYSE: CEO) Cut to Neutral at HSBC.
EI DuPont de Nemours & Co. (NYSE: DD) Raised to Buy at BofA/Merrill Lynch.
Family Dollar Stores, Inc.(NYSE: FDO) Raised to Strong Buy at S&P Equity Research (late Monday call).
FLIR Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLIR) Reiterated Buy at Needham.
Kulicke & Soffa Industries Inc. (NASDAQ: KLIC) Cut to Hold at Jefferies.
Liz Claiborne Inc. (NYSE: LIZ) Started as Neutral at SunTrust.
Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri AS (NYSE: TKC) Cut to Underweight at Morgan Stanley.
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) Cut to Underperform at Bernstein.
Wynn Resorts Ltd. (NASDAQ: WYNN) Cut to Market Perform at BMO; Raised to Buy at S&P Equity Research (late Monday call).
YRC Worldwide, Inc. (YRCWD) Started as Underperform at Morgan Keegan.

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

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: AAPL, AEP, APOL, CEO, CNI, DD, FDO, FLIR, KLIC, LIZ, TKC, VZ, WYNN, YRCWD

Top Analyst Upgrades/Downgrades (MMM, AEG, AGU, ATHN, BHI, DLTR, FLIR, HON, MOS, OTEX, TGT)

Jon C. Ogg — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 12:14:04 +0000

These are some of this Tuesday’s top research calls with upgrades. downgrades, and initiations seen from Wall Street analysts:

3M Co. (NYSE: MMM) Cut to Underweight at JPMorgan.
Aegon NV (NYSE: AEG) Raised to Buy at S&P Equity Research.
Agrium Inc. (NYSE: AGU) Raised to Overweight at JPMorgan.
athenahealth, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATHN) Cut to Neutral at Baird.
Baker Hughes Inc. (NYSE: BHI) Raised to Positive at Susquehanna.
Dollar Tree, Inc. (NASDAQ: DLTR) Cut to Underweight at JPMorgan.
FLIR Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLIR) Reiterated Buy at Needham.
Honeywell International Inc. (NYSE: HON) Raised to Overweight at JPMorgan.
Mosaic Co. (NYSE: MOS) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.
Open Text Corporation (NASDAQ: OTEX) Cut to Sector Perform at RBC.
Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT) Raised to Buy at BofA/Merrill Lynch.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: AEG, AGU, ATHN, BHI, DLTR, FLIR, HON, MMM, MOS, OTEX, TGT

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (AONE, BIG, BRCM, CME, FITB, FLIR, GOOG, MRVL, STP, YHOO, TS)

Douglas A. McIntyre — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:50:47 +0000

These are this morning’s top analyst research calls for upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen from Wall Street analysts this Thursday:

A123 Systems (NASDAQ: AONE) Started as Equal-Weight at Barclays.
Big Lots (NYSE: BIG) Raised to Overweight at JPMorgan.
Broadcom Corp. (NASDAQ: BRCM) Started as Overweight at JPMorgan.
CME Group (NYSE: CME) Raised to Buy at Deutsche Bank.
Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ: FITB) Cut to Hold at Citigroup.
Flir Systems (NASDAQ: FLIR) Started as Neutral at Goldman Sachs.
Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) Started as Neutral at MKM Partners.
Marvell Technology Group Ltd. (NASDAQ: MRVL) Started as Overweight at JPMorgan.
Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. (NYSE: STP) Raised to Hold from Sell at Deutsche Bank.
Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) Started as Neutral at MKMPartners.
Tenaris SA (NYSE: TS) Cut to Neutral at Goldman Sachs.

You are invited to join our free daily email distribution list to hear about top analyst upgrades and downgrades, IPOs and secondary offerings, ongoing day trader and options trader alerts, stock and market rumors, Buffett and guru investor news, M&A and more.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: AONE, BIG, BRCM, CME, FITB, FLIR, GOOG, MRVL, STP, TS, YHOO

Cramer’s 2010 Counterterrorism Stock Picks (ASEI, OSIS, FLIR, COGT, NICE)

Douglas A. McIntyre — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 23:45:23 +0000

It seems every market pundit has their outlook picks for 2010, and Jim Cramer is no different. Last night was Cramer’s “Energy Shortage Stock Picks for 2010″ and on CNBC’s MAD MONEY tonight Cramer gave his featured stock picks in the Homeland Security and anti-terrorism sector. Considering the recent failed plane bombing attempt on Christmas Day, this sector enjoyed much interest last week. Cramer believes the real counter-terrorism stocks that are not the garbage speculative names are American Science & Engineering Inc. (NASDAQ: ASEI), OSI Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: OSIS), FLIR Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLIR), and Cogent, Inc. (NASDAQ: COGT). His big feature and review stock for charts and fundamentals was in Nice Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ: NICE). Cramer did note that some of these are still up very big from lows and might need to be bought on pullbacks.

American Science & Engineering Inc. (NASDAQ: ASEI) scans for bombs and weapons in transportation systems and it has a $150 million order backlog with a market ten-times the company’s current revenues. OSI Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: OSIS) is a new pick from Cramer and it rose from $22.02 before Christmas and went briefly over $28.00 to new recent highs before pulling back. Its 52-week trading range is $11.01 to $28.49. This one screens people and can detect materials inside clothing.

FLIR Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLIR) is Cramer’s pick in security and surveillance that protects major companies and government facilities. FLIR closed at $32.72 and its 52-week trading range is $18.81 to $33.35. Cogent, Inc. (NASDAQ: COGT) is Cramer’s pick for fingerprint and palm scanning technology. Cogent closed at $10.28 and its 52-week trading range is $7.96 to $12.92.

Cramer also featured and reviewed Nice Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ: NICE) over tracking terrorism suspects based upon software for abnormal behavior for counter-terrorism and over phone surveillance. He then reviewed the chart. The chart looks solid to him because of higher highs and higher lows. The Real Money writer believes it has room to run up to $40.00 and is not really extended on its chart. The November lows came on very high volume that shook out the sellers. Cramer believes this one has been ignored entirely by the terrorism stocks and can have camera to camera reviewing. It has $500 million, about $8.00 per share, is looking for more acquisitions to make, and trades cheap at 18-times earnings.

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Cramer’s “Energy Shortage Stock Picks for 2010″ can be found here.

Jon C. Ogg
January 5, 2010

Posted in Active Trader, Aerospace & Defense, Analyst Calls, Cramer, Cult Stock, Defense, Media, Transportation, Transports Tagged: ASEI, COGT, FLIR, NICE, OSIS