24/7 Wall St. » HL

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (ALU, WBMD, URBN, RL, AWK, LEN, SVU, SHIP, LEDS, SNX, JASO, YRCW, CROX, HL, HRC)

Paul Ausick — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 21:05:20 +0000

Equities opened modestly down this morning and the three major indexes have stayed within a few points of flat all day. The NASDAQ composite has remained in positive territory as the technology sector has benefited from a sharp buying trend in solar stocks. The EIA’s weekly petroleum report came in with a crude build of 5 million barrels, way above an expected gain of 1 million barrels. The report weighed on energy stocks since mid-morning. The euro has also been weaker today, adding a bit of push to equity buying. Crude oil is ending the day down, with WTI crude down about -1.3% at $100.92/barrel and Brent crude is down 0.64% at $112.55/barrel. Gold closed higher, at $1,640.50/ounce, after posting a four-week high earlier today.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down more than 13 points to 12,449.08 (-0.11%), the NASDAQ rose more than 8 points (0.31%) to 2,710.76, and the S&P 500 rose 0.03% or less than 1 point to 1,292.44.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Alcatel-Lucent, S.A. (NYSE: ALU) raised to ‘buy’ at Deutsche Bank; WebMD Health Corp. (NASDAQ: WBMD) cut to ‘market perform’ at Wells Fargo; Urban Outfitters Inc. (NASDAQ: URBN) cut to ‘sell’ at Citigroup; Ralph Lauren Corp. (NYSE: RL) cut to ‘market perform’ at Wells Fargo; and American Water Works Co. Inc. (NYSE: AWK) raised to ‘buy’ at Ladenburg Thalmann.

Earnings reports since markets closed yesterday have led to some price changes: Lennar Corp. (NYSE: LEN) is up 6.3% at $22.07 after posting a new 52-week high of $22.53 earlier today; Supervalu Inc. (NYSE: SVU) is down nearly -13% at $7.33; Seanergy Maritime Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: SHIP) is up more than 5.5% at $2.65; SemiLEDS Corp. (NASDAQ: LEDS) is more than 5% at $3.69; and Synnex Corp. (NYSE: SNX) is up more than 8% at $34.80.

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: JASO) is up more than 37% at $1.97. The Chinese solar maker is among several Chinese solar companies getting a boost today from news that solar panel prices appear to be stabilizing. We have more coverage here.

YRC Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: YRCW) is up nearly 16% at $11.38. The transportation company has said it will auction 62 of its surplus US sites.

Crocs Inc. (NASDAQ: CROX) is up more than 17% at $18.73. The funny-shoe company has estimated that sales in the current fiscal year will top $1 billion for the first time.

Hecla Mining Co. (NYSE: HL) is down about -22% at $4.55, after posting a new 52-week low of $4.25 earlier today. The silver miner has lowered its production estimate due to a forced closure of a shaft at its Nevada mine.

Hill-Rom Holdings Inc. (NYSE: HRC) is down nearly -12% at $30.45. The medical equipment maker and services provider lowered fourth-quarter and full-year guidance last night.

Stay tuned for Thursday. Here are the noteworthy events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

8:30 a.m. – Initial unemployment benefits claims report
8:30 a.m. – Census Bureau retail sales report
10:00 a.m. – Census Bureau business inventories report
10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly natural gas status report
1:00 p.m. – 30-year bond auction
2:00 p.m. – US Treasury budget
4:30 p.m. – Federal Reserve balance sheet

Paul Ausick

Filed under: HI/LOW, Market Close, The Day Tagged: ALU, AWK, CROX, HL, HRC, JASO, LEDS, LEN, RL, SHIP, SNX, SVU, URBN, WBMD, YRCW

Morning Movers (DLA, URBN, HL, SVU, P)

Paul Ausick — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:19:56 +0000

There are several stocks trading more heavily than usual this morning, and also experiencing large gains or drops in share prices. These include Delta Apparel Inc. (NYSE: DLA), Urban Outfitters Inc. (NASDAQ: URBN), Hecla Mining Co. (NYSE: HL), Supervalu Inc. (NYSE: SVU), and Pandora Media Inc. (NYSE: P).

Delta Apparel is down more than -26% at $14.08. Volume is already more than double the daily average. The clothes maker lowered guidance this morning..

Urban Outfitters is down more than -19% at $23.80. Volume is already double the daily average. The clothing retailer’s CEO has resigned.

Hecla Mining is down nearly -23% at $4.51, a new 52-week low. Volume is already nearly equal to the daily average. The company has lowered its silver production forecast from 9.5 million ounces to 7 million ounces following an order from a federal regulator to close one of its shafts.

Supervalu is down more than -10% at $7.52. Volume is heavy, with more than half the daily average number of shares already traded. The supermarket company missed revenue expectations this morning and has lowered guidance.

Pandora Media is up more than 6% at $12.19. Volume has already surpassed the daily average. The Internet radio company has announced that it has deals with 23 automakers and more than 450 consumer electronics companies to carry its programming.

Paul Ausick

Filed under: Market Open, Market Roundups, The Day Tagged: DLA, HL, P, SVU, URBN

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (MO, VZ, TSO, LNKD, GE, CHKR, BTH, PBY, UEC, AZO, DRI, TOL, LQDT, DMND, SAI, VRA, FRO, CTIC, CRK, VG, HL)

Paul Ausick — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 21:11:36 +0000

Equities opened a little weaker this morning, but by 10:00 a.m. markets had turned slightly positive and have remained in positive territory for the rest of the day. The gain has not been huge, but it is a gain. The lack of enthusiasm from either buyers or sellers reflected the mood from European bourses as well. WTI crude oil rose 0.11%, to near $101.10 just before today’s close. Gold was off -0.02%, at $1,730.30/ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up more than 52 points to 12,150.13 (0.43%), the NASDAQ fell more than 6 points (-0.23%) to 2,649.56, and the S&P 500 rose 0.11% or nearly 5 points to 1,258.47.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Altria Group Inc. (NYSE: MO) started as ‘buy’ at Deutsche Bank. Other ratings action include Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) reiterated as ‘buy’ with a $44 price target at Argus; Tesoro Corp. (NYSE: TSO) cut from ‘outperform’ to ‘neutral’ with a $34 price target at Credit Suisse; LinkedIn Corp. (NASDAQ: LNKD) raised to ‘overweight’ at JPMorgan; and General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) raised to ‘outperform’ by Berstein.

Here are today’s post-earnings news reactions with prices during the last half-hour of trading: Chesapeake Granite Wash Trust (NYSE: CHKR) is up 0.7% at $19.94; Blyth, Inc. (NYSE: BTH) is down -0.05% at $66.33; Pep Boys-Manny, Joe, and Jack (NYSE: PBY) is down -5.5% at $11.21; Uranium Energy Corp. (AMEX: UEC) is up 0.66% at $3.06; AutoZone Inc. (NYSE: AZO) is down -0.12% at $338.56; Darden Restaurants Inc. (NYSE: DRI) is down -12% at $41.95; Toll Brothers Inc. (NYSE: TOL) is up nearly 3% at $21.37; and Liquidity Services Inc. (NASDAQ: LQDT) is up nearly 5.5% at $36.74, after posting a new 52-week high of $37.05 earlier in the day. Earnings releases coming after markets close today include Diamond Foods Inc. (NASDAQ: DMND); SAIC Inc. (NYSE: SAI); and Vera Bradley Inc. (NYSE: VRA).

Several other standouts from today are as follows…

Frontline Ltd. (NYSE: FRO) is up more than 19%, to $4.23. The oil tanker company has been suffering from low day rates and lack of cargoes, but today’s injection of $500 million from a Norwegian bank controlled by the company’s major shareholder, John Fredriksen, has pumped up interest in the stock.

Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: CTIC) is up 14%, at $1.31. The drug-maker received notice from the FDA that its new drug application for a treatment for non-Hodgkins lymphoma is complete.

Comstock Resources Inc. (NYSE: CRK) is up nearly 15%, at $19.39. The oil & gas E&P company has acquired new acreage in the Delaware Basin of west Texas and reported that it had drilled five new producing wells in its Eagle Ford shale acreage.

Vonage Holdings Corp. (NYSE: VG) is down nearly -5%, at $2.52. The VoIP provider did not report any significant news, but the stock has been quite volatile over the past month.

Hecla Mining Co. (NYSE: HL) is up more than 9%, at $6.57. The miner benefited from today’s investors’ interest in gold mining stocks.

Stay tuned for Wednesday. We have noted Federal Reserve Governor Sarah Bloom Raskin moderating a panel on grass-roots participation at Baltimore branch of Richmond Fed. Here are other noteworthy events scheduled for Tuesday (all times Eastern):

7:00 a.m. – Mortgage Bankers Association purchase applications
10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly petroleum status report
3:00 p.m. – Report on outstanding consumer credit

Paul Ausick

Filed under: HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: AZO, BTH, CHKR, CRK, CTIC, DMND, DRI, FRO, GE, HL, LNKD, LQDT, MO, PBY, SAI, TOL, TSO, UEC, VG, VRA, VZ

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (ALGN, BIDU, BRCD, DMD, FSLR, HL, HGG, ITMN, LTD, MFN, NOK, PCX, STX, VPRT)

Administrator — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 12:48:24 +0000

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

Align Technology, Inc (NASDAQ: ALGN) Started as Neutral with $19 target at Credit Suisse.
Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU) Cut to Buy from Strong Buy at S&P Equity Research (late-Tuesday).
Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: BRCD) Cut to Underweight at JPMorgan.
Demand Media, Inc. (NYSE: DMD) Cut to Neutral at Goldman Sachs.
First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) Cut to Sell at Ticonderoga.
Hecla Mining Company (NYSE: HL) named Value stock of the day at Zacks.
hhgregg, Inc. (NYSE: HGG) cut to Underperform as Bear of the Day at Zacks.
InterMune, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITMN) Reiterated Buy with $44 target at Canaccord Genuity.
Limited Brands, Inc. (NYSE: LTD) named Bull of the Day at Zacks.
Minefinders Corp. (NYSE: MFN) named growth stock of the day at Zacks.
Nokia Corporation (NYSE: NOK) Raised to Neutral at Nomura.
Patriot Coal Corporation (NYSE: PCX) Cut to Sell at Goldman Sachs.
Seagate Technology PLC (NASDAQ: STX) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.
Vistaprint N.V. (NASDAQ: VPRT) Cut to Sell at Goldman Sachs.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: ALGN, BIDU, BRCD, DMD, FSLR, HGG, HL, ITMN, LTD, MFN, NOK, PCX, STX, VPRT

Top Earnings Previews For The Week Ahead (ATVI, HL, LDK, RAX, SLW, TSN, CSIQ, DF, HELE, JASO, MCP, STEC, DIS, WEN, MT, CSCO, M, SYMC, TEVA, TM, JWN, NVDA, SPWRA, URBN)

Administrator — Fri, 06 May 2011 19:35:59 +0000

Earnings season is slowing down as we have over 80% of the S&P 500 companies having reported earnings for the first quarter of 2011. We do still have key companies reporting earnings and we wanted to highlight these with detailed previews. You will notice at the end that many solar companies are reporting earnings as well.

Our key earnings previews are in the following: Activision Blizzard Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI); Hecla Mining Co. (NYSE: HL); LDK Solar Co., Ltd. (NYSE: LDK); Rackspace Hosting Inc. (NYSE: RAX); Silver Wheaton Corporation (NYSE: SLW); Tyson Food, Inc. (NYSE: TSN); Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSIQ); Dean Foods Co. (NYSE: DF); Helen of Troy Corporation (NASDAQ: HELE); JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: JASO); Molycorp Inc. (NYSE: MCP); STEC Inc. (NASDAQ: STEC); The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS); Wendy’s/Arby’s Group Inc. (NYSE: WEN); ArcelorMittal SA (NYSE: MT); Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO); Macy’s Inc. (NYSE: M); Symantec Corporation (NASDAQ: SYMC); Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NASDAQ: TEVA); Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE: TM); Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN); NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA); SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ: SPWRA); and Urban Outfitters Inc. (NASDAQ: URBN).

We have provided more detailed previews on the major stocks and the sector-moving stocks and just added in color on the rest. Included on all are price action and Thomson Reuters estimates.

Activision Blizzard Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) follows EA and expectations will be high now that EA performed well this last week. It reports on Monday after the Close of trading. Thomson Reuters has estimates of -$0.36 EPS and $515.06 million in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.15 EPS and $925.93 million in revenues. With shares at $21.78 late Friday the 52-week range is $14.06 to $22.17 and that $22.17 high was hit on Friday.

Hecla Mining Co. (NYSE: HL) will be key to watch after its big drop this last week. It is due to report Monday morning. Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.13 EPS and $118.57 million in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.14 EPS and $124.43 million in revenues.

LDK Solar Co., Ltd. (NYSE: LDK) reports Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.85 EPS and $783.87 million in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.70 EPS and $801.64 million in revenues. Shares were at $10.34 late Friday against a 52-week range of $4.97 to $15.10.

Rackspace Hosting Inc. (NYSE: RAX) reports Monday and Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.12 EPS and $226.26 million in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.13 EPS and $238.62 million in revenues. This will be one more high-flying cloud play on deck and with shares close to $43 late Friday its 52-week range is $15.15 to $46.49. With a super-high earnings multiple and a very strong performance, we think it has to beat estimates and raise guidance. If not, look out below. Also the company has said it wants to remain independent.

Silver Wheaton Corporation (NYSE: SLW) reports Monday and it has been very volatile with silver this last week. Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.42 EPS and $199.23 million in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.51 EPS and $233.93 million in revenues. Shares were close to $36.00 late on Friday and the 52-week range is $17.00 to $47.60.

Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN) reports Monday and Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.43 EPS and $7.52 billion in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.47 EPS and $8.05 billion in revenues. With flooding this last week and a tornado swarm the prior week, investors will want to know more on its outlook. SHares were around $19.00 late Friday and the 52-week range is $14.59 to $20.12.

Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSIQ) reports Tuesday. Thomson Reuters has estimates of $0.41 EPS and $423.49 million in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.39 EPS and $437.31 million in revenues. Shares were at $9.75 late Friday against a 52-week range of $8.99 to $17.63.

Filed under: Calendar, Earnings, The Week Tagged: ATVI, CSCO, CSIQ, DF, DIS, HELE, HL, JASO, JWN, LDK, M, MCP, MT, NVDA, RAX, SLW, SPWRA, STEC, SYMC, TEVA, TM, TSN, URBN, WEN

Gold Trading: More Gold Mining Mergers Coming! (GDXJ, NEM, FRG, ANV, HL, GRS, CDE, GLD)

Administrator — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 20:02:29 +0000

Today’s action is showing a very favorable move to Market Vectors Junior Gold Miners ETF (NYSE: GDXJ) after news that Newmont Mining Corporation (NYSE: NEM) is acquiring Fronteer Gold Inc. (AMEX: FRG). The $2.3 billion deal compared to Newmont’s $27+ billion market cap. This has many of the junior miners that are in production on the move for anticipation that more gold mining mergers will be forthcoming.

Fronteer has a 2.7% weighting in the Market Vectors Junior Gold Miners ETF. Other components are on the move as well.

Allied Nevada Gold Corp. (AMEX: ANV) is up 4% at $28.48 on just under 800,000 shares; its 52-week range is $11.57 to $29.05.

Hecla Mining Co. (NYSE: HL) up 5.3% at $9.71, yet volume is only 8.9 million shares; its 52-week range is $4.27 to $11.56.

Gammon Gold, Inc. (NYSE: GRS) is up 4.3% at $8.17 on just under 1.4 million shares; its 52-week range is $5.09 to $10.47.

Coeur d`Alene Mines Corporation (NYSE: CDE) is up only 1.3% at $24.83 on about 1.6 million shares; its 52-week range is $13.41 to $28.20.

The hope here is a simple one, but it stands out against against gold the metal today. Spot gold is up about 1.4% at $1352.12 per ounce, while the SPDR Gold Shares (NYSE: GLD) is up about 1.2% at $131.90. The hope is that more gold mining acquisitions will come. It has actually been surprising at just how few deals there have been. Now that many of these stocks have pulled back so much it may be time to look at the biggest bargains that are off the most.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Commodities, Luxury, Mergers and Buy Outs, Metals Tagged: ANV, CDE, FRG, GDXJ, GLD, GRS, HL, NEM

Silver Miner’s Good News from South America (PAAS, CDE, HL, SLW, SLV)

Administrator — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 15:18:47 +0000

Canadian-based silver miner Pan American Silver Corp. (NASDAQ: PAAS) has released a report on its Navidad project in Argentina, providing details on a preliminary assessment of the project’s viability. The company primarily mines silver, but won’t turn its back on gold, lead, or other incidental minerals. The company’s share price has risen about 40% in the past year, significantly higher than Coeur d’Alene Mines Corp. (NYSE: CDE) and a bit more than Hecla Mining Co. (NYSE: HL). It trails far behind silver mining darling Silver Wheaton Corp. (NYSE: SLW), which has seen its share price more than double on the back of the strong interest in silver. The iShares Silver Trust ETF (NYSE: SLV) has also seen its share price rise some 40% in the past year.

Pan American’s Navidad project has been estimated to contain 632 million ounces of silver with another 119 million ounces possible. The deposit also contains more than 3 billion pounds of lead.

The company estimates that annual production will average about 19.8 million ounces of silver at a cash cost of $6.03/ounce during the first five years of mining. The production life of the mine is estimated to be 17 years, and total estimated production totals 275.5 million ounces at an average cost per ounce of $6.96 over the full live of the mine.

The production figures are considerably better than 2009 estimates before Pan American bought Aquiline Resources, the project’s former owner.

Pan American estimates that pre-production construction costs will total about $760 million, and that sustaining capital costs will total about $161 million over the mine’s 17-year life.

The company also expects to deliver 1 million ounces of silver to Silver Wheaton as the result of an agreement entered into by previous owners. This so-called “silver stream” means that Silver Wheaton buys the silver before it is mined, reducing mining costs — in Silver Wheaton’s case to a negative production cost — and allowing the buyer to move more volume than the actual mining company.

Pan American shares are up a little more than 1% in early trading this morning, as are Silver Wheaton shares. The iShares Silver Trust ETF is up a bit less than 1%.

Paul Ausick

Filed under: International Markets, Metals Tagged: CDE, HL, PAAS, SLV, SLW

Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades (ANF, AAPL, EAT, CREE, DLTR, AIXG, FLR, HL, INTC, DGX, ANDE, VECO, VMW)

Administrator — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 12:28:32 +0000

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

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF) Cut to Sell at Brean Murray.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) raised target to $390 at Susquehanna.
Brinker International (NYSE: EAT) Cut to Neutral at Susquehanna.
Cree Inc. (NASDAQ: CREE) Started as Equal-Weight at Barclays.
Dollar Tree, Inc. (NASDAQ: DLTR) Raised to Neutral at JPMorgan.
Aixtron AG (NASDAQ: AIXG) Started as Equal-Weight at Barclays.
Fluor Inc. (NYSE: FLR) Cut to Neutral at Goldman Sachs.
Hecla Mining (NYSE: HL) Cut to Neutral at UBS.
Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) Cut to Market Perform at First Global.
Quest Diagnostics Inc. (NYSE: DGX) Cut to Market Perform at William Blair.
The Andersons, Inc. (NASDAQ: ANDE) Cut to Hold at BB&T.
Veeco Instruments Inc. (NASDAQ: VECO) Started as Overweight at Barclays.
VMware Inc. (NYSE: VMW) Cut to Market Perform at William Blair.

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, AIXG, ANDE, ANF, CREE, DGX, DLTR, EAT, FLR, HL, INTC, VECO, VMW

Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades (AEO, BMY, CAGC, CEO, STZ, FO, HL, MHS, WFR, SQNM, X, WAG)

Administrator — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 12:32:43 +0000

These are some of this Friday’s top analyst calls with upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen in Wall Street research notes:

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE: AEO) Raised to Buy at Jefferies.
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) Raised to Buy at Citigroup.
China Agritech Inc. (NASDAQ: CAGC) Started as Buy at Brean Murray.
CNOOC Ltd. (NYSE: CEO) Removed from Goldman Sachs Conviction Buy List.
Constellation Brands Inc. (NYSE: STZ) Started as Buy at Citigroup.
Fortune Brands Inc. (NYSE: FO) Started as Sell at Citigroup.
Hecla Mining Co. (NYSE: HL) Started as Buy at Jefferies.
Medco Health Inc. (NYSE: MHS) Raised to Buy at Goldman Sachs.
MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. (NYSE: WFR) Cut to Sell at Hapoalim.
Sequenom Inc. (NASDAQ: SQNM) Raised to Buy at Auriga.
United States Steel Corp. (NYSE: X) Raised to Neutral from Sell at UBS.
Walgreen Co. (NYSE: WAG) Cut to Market Weight at Thomas Weisel.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: AEO, BMY, CAGC, CEO, FO, HL, MHS, SQNM, STZ, WAG, WFR, X

Top 10 Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades (AFL, AKS, ARMH, BIDU, ABX, PLCE, FSLR, HL, PALM, PGI)

Administrator — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 12:32:27 +0000

These are ten of the top analyst calls seen so far this Thursday morning from the upgrades, downgrades, and initiations from Wall Street firms:

AFLAC Inc. (NYSE: AFL) Raised to Strong Buy at Raymond James.
AK Steel Holding Corp. (NYSE: AKS) Cut to Neutral from Overweight at JPMorgan.
ARM Holdings plc (NASDAQ: ARMH) Cut to Underperform at Jefferies.
Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU) target raised to $1,000 at Susquehanna.
Barrick Gold Corporation (NYSE: ABX) Raised to Buy at Jefferies; targets raised at CIBC and TD.
The Children’s Place Retail Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLCE) Cut to Hold at Stifel Nicolaus.
First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) has been upgraded s far at Baird, Soleil, Deutsche Bank, and Bank of America/Merrill Lynch.
Hecla Mining Co. (NYSE: HL) Cut to Neutral from Buy at UBS.
Palm Inc. (NASDAQ: PALM) Raised to Hold from Sell at Morgan Joseph; Raised to Hold from Sell at Kaufman Bros.; Cut to Neutral from Buy at MKM Partners.
Premiere Global Services, Inc. (NYSE: PGI) Raised to Outperform at Oppenheimer.

JON C. OGG

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Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: ABX, AFL, AKS, ARMH, BIDU, FSLR, HL, PALM, PGI, PLCE