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Top Analyst Upgrades and Stocks to Buy: Home Depot, Lululemon, Myriad Genetics and More

Jon C. Ogg — Wed, 08 May 2013 12:30:16 +0000

Investors and traders are always on the lookout for fresh Wall Street research ideas of stocks to buy, value stocks and dividend stocks. 24/7 Wall St. reviews many fresh research calls to find great ideas from value stocks to growth stocks to dividend stocks. We have broken out the positive analyst calls as far as stocks to buy and positive research calls and these are some of this Wednesday’s top analyst upgrades, initiations and positive analyst research calls.

Consolidated Edison Inc. (NYSE: ED) was reiterated Buy and the price target was raised by $7 to $68 at Argus.

Eaton Corp. (NYSE: ETN) was initiated as Outperform at Bernstein.

Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) was reiterated Buy and its price target was raised $10 to $85 at Argus.

IAMGOLD Corp. (NYSE: IAG) was raised to Buy from Hold but the price target was lowered to $7.45 from $8.25 at Canaccord Genuity.

Lowe’s Companies Inc. (NYSE: LOW) was raised to Buy from Neutral at ISI Group.

Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ: LULU) was raised to Buy from Neutral with $90 price target at Stern Agee.

Marathon Oil Corp. (NYSE: MRO) was raised to Outperform from Neutral at Macquarie.

Myriad Genetics Inc. (NASDAQ: MYGN) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Mizuho.

Oracle Corp. (NASDAQ: ORCL) was reiterated Buy on the Focus List at Credit Suisse, but the firm raised its earnings estimates.

Travelers Companies Inc. (NYSE: TRV) was started as Outperform at Raymond James.

U.S. Auto Parts Inc. (NASDAQ: PRTS) was raised to Buy from Neutral at Roth Capital.

We have two great large research summaries this Wednesday. UBS issued a dividend investor alert calling it time to buy these multifamily REIT stocks. We also have the best stocks to buy from Raymond James in their value and dividend strategies.

Read also: Top Analyst Downgrades and Cautious Calls

Filed under: Active Trader, Analyst Calls, Value Investing Tagged: ED, ETN, HD, IAG, LOW, LULU, MRO, MYGN, ORCL, PRTS, TRV

Miners Get Boost on Rising Gold Price

Paul Ausick — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 18:08:08 +0000

The Comex April gold price has risen more than $5 today and is currently trading at $1,676.00 an ounce. Last week’s poor showing for fourth quarter U.S. GDP growth has pushed the yellow metal higher as it gets back some of its luster as a safe haven asset. A stronger dollar weighed on gold prices somewhat, but today’s rise is reflected in the stocks of many of the gold mining companies.

Randgold Resources Ltd. (NASDAQ: GOLD) reported earnings this morning and the company’s performance was better than expected and it forecast was also positive. Shares are up about 3.8% in the early afternoon, and share of Coeur d’Alene Mines Corp. (NYSE: CDE) are tagging along, up nearly 3%. Other shares getting traction today are Iamgold Corp. (NYSE: IAG), up 2.4%; Aurico Gold Inc. (NYSE: AUQ), up 1.8%, and Newmont Mining Corp. (NYSE: NEM), up 1.5%. Barrick Gold Corp. (NYSE: ABX), Goldcorp Inc. (NYSE: GG), and Gold Fields Ltd. (NYSE: GFI) are all up around 1%.

One thing to keep an eye on is the action on gold trading from central banks. One analyst thinks central banks will take about 280 tons of gold in the first half of this year, about the same as the last half of last year. The Fed’s assertion last week that inflation is under control has helped hold gold prices down, too. But if the global economy is picking up some strength, the inflation hawks start to appear and gold begins to glow again. That could be what’s happening today.

For the miners to prosper though, they need to control costs and hope for rising gold prices. That combination has been elusive.

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Commodities & Metals, Metals Tagged: ABX, AUQ, CDE, featured, GFI, GG, gold, IAG, NEM

Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades (ANF, AAPL, ADP, BHI, CVC, CTSH, CS, DD, F, GPN, HAL, HAR, HOLX, IAG, MGI, NTAP, PAYX, PWR, SB, SZYM, SPLS, TWC, WLT)

Jon C. Ogg — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 13:38:00 +0000

These are some of the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations seen in Wall St. research calls this Thursday.

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF) raised to Outperform at William Blair ad raised to Buy at Stern Agee.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) reiterated Outperform with $750 target at Credit Suisse, with near-term risk-reward prices of $520 and $630.

Automatic Data Processing Inc. (NASDAQ: ADP) reiterated Buy with $63 target at Argus.

Baker Hughes Inc. (NYSE: BHI) raised to Buy at CLSA.

Cablevision Systems Corp. (NYSE: CVC) cut to Sell at Goldman Sachs.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. (NASDAQ: CTSH) raised to Outperform at Credit Suisse.

Credit Suisse Group A.G. (NYSE: CS) named value stock of the day at Zacks.

E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co. (NYSE: DD), or DuPont, named Bear of the Day at Zacks.

Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) reiterated Buy with $19 target at Argus.

Global Payments Inc. (NYSE: GPN) started as Outperform at Credit Suisse.

Halliburton Co. (NYSE: HAL) raised to Buy at CLSA.

Harman International Industries Inc. (NYSE: HAR) started as Market Perform at Wells Fargo.

Hologic Inc. (NASDAQ: HOLX) reiterated Buy with $27 target at Argus.

IAMGold Corp. (NYSE: IAG) cut to Sector Perform at CIBC.

MoneyGram International Inc. (NYSE: MGI) cut to Neutral at Credit Suisse.

NetApp Inc. (NASDAQ: NTAP) raised to Outperform at Raymond James.

Paychex Inc. (NASDAQ: PAYX) cut to Neutral at Credit Suisse.

Quanta Services, Inc. (NYSE: PWR) named Bull of the Day at Zacks.

Safe Bulkers, Inc. (NYSE: SB) reiterated Underperform at BofA/ML.

Solazyme Inc. (NASDAQ: SZYM) maintained Buy but lowered target to $10 at Canaccord Genuity.

Staples Inc. (NASDAQ: SPLS) reiterated Buy with $14 target at Argus.

Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC) raised to Overweight at JPMorgan.

Walter Energy Inc. (NYSE: WLT) cut to Underperform at BofA/ML.

Here are the changes made in the Argus Model Portfolios as well. And speaking of model portfolios, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-B) made a huge number of changes from their equity portfolio holdings.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Analyst Calls Tagged: AAPL, ADP,, ANF, BHI, BRK-B, CS, CTSH, CVC, DD, F, GPN, HAL, HAR, HOLX, IAG, MGI, NTAP, PAYX, PWR, SB, SPLS, SZYM, TWC, WLT

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — November 14, 2012: Markets Can’t Hold Gains, Lose Again Today (ABX, JCP, POT, HD, SOHU, CSCO, IAG, RENN, ANF, SPLS, TYC, DMND, DRYS, NTAP, PETM, SPB, GME, ROST, VIAB, WMT, FB, ANF, IAG)

Paul Ausick — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 21:02:51 +0000

U.S. equity markets opened higher this morning, but the three major indexes fell below the neutral line after the first hour or so of trading. In Europe, Greece said its GDP contracted by 7.2% in the third quarter and there were street demonstrations against austerity measures in France, Portugal, Italy, and Spain. In Asia, China is set to make official appointments to its Politburo and Japan’s prime minister will dissolve the country’s parliament next week, setting up new elections. U.S. producer prices fell by 0.2% in October, but retail sales also declined, by 0.3% (more coverage here). Mortgage applications in the U.S. spiked higher last week as rebuilding from the effects of Hurricane Sandy begin (more coverage here). The release of the FOMC minutes pushed equity prices down even more late this afternoon (more coverage here).

The U.S. dollar index fell slightly today, now down 0.07% at 81.024. The GSCI commodity index is down 0.2% at 633.32, with commodities prices mostly higher today. WTI crude oil closed up 1.1% today, at $86.32 a barrel. Brent crude trades up about 1.1% at $109.61 a barrel. Natural gas is up 0.5% today at about $3.76 per thousand cubic feet. Gold settled up 0.3% today at $1,730.10 an ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down nearly 185 points to 12,571.34 (-1.45%), the NASDAQ fell nearly 37 points (-1.28%) to 2,847.03, and the S&P 500 fell -1.39% or about 19 points to 1,355.50.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Barrick Gold Corp. (NYSE: ABX) cut to ‘hold’ at Argus; J.C. Penney Co. Inc. (NYSE: JCP) cut to ‘neutral’ at JPMorgan; Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan (NYSE: POT) cut to ‘hold’ at Canaccord Genuity; The Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) cut to ‘market perform’ at Raymond James; and Sohu.com Inc. (NASDAQ: SOHU) started as ‘underweight’ at HSBC.

Earnings reports of interest since U.S. markets closed last night have resulted in some price moves today, including these as of the last half hour of trading: Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) is up 4.9% at $17.68 (more coverage here); Renren Inc. (NYSE: RENN) is down 0.9% at $3.35; Staples Inc. (NASDAQ: SPLS) is up 2.4% at $11.52 (more coverage here); and Tyco International Ltd. (NYSE: TYC) is down 1.9% at $26.80.

After markets close today and before they open tomorrow morning we are scheduled to hear from Diamond Foods Inc. (NASDAQ: DMND), DryShips Inc. (NASDAQ: DRYS), NetApp Inc. (NASDAQ: NTAP), PetSmart Inc. (NASDAQ: PETM), Spectrum Brands Holdings Inc. (NYSE: SPB), GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME), Ross Stores Inc. (NASDAQ: ROST), Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB), and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT).

Some standouts from today include the following stocks:

Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) is up 12.8% at $22.41. The social media company’s shares are rising despite the unlocking of more than 800 million shares today. More coverage here.

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF) is up 33.2% at $41.53. The apparel retailer handily beat third-quarter expectations this morning. More coverage here.

Iamgold Corp. (NYSE: IAG) is down 19.4% at $11.99. The Canadian gold miner missed both earnings and revenue expectations this morning as production faltered.

Stay tuned for Thursday. Richmond Fed President Jeffrey Lacker, Chicago Fed President Charles Evans, Dallas Fed President Richard Fisher, and Philadelphia Fed President Charles Plosser are giving speeches. We have also noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

8:30 a.m. – Consumer price index
8:30 a.m. – New claims for unemployment benefits
8:30 a.m. – Empire State manufacturing survey
10:00 a.m. – Philadelphia Fed survey
10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly natural gas storage report
11:00 a.m. – EIA weekly petroleum status report
1:20 p.m. – Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke speaks
4:30 p.m. – Fed balance sheet and money supply

Paul Ausick

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: ABX, ANF, CSCO, DMND, DRYS, FB, GME, HD, IAG, JCP, NTAP, PETM, POT, RENN, ROST, SOHU, SPB, SPLS, TYC, VIA-B, WMT

Today’s Market Winners and Losers

247sam — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:16:42 +0000

The stock market is down Wednesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 0.62%, the Nasdaq down 0.41% and the S&P 500 down 0.56%. Today’s winners are a retailer reporting strong earnings, an energy firm selling off assets and a social-media giant rising despite the ending of a lockup period. Meanwhile, today’s losers include a precious metals firm reporting quarterly earnings that missed expecations and an electronics maker issuing convertible bonds.

These are Wednesday’s market winners and losers.

Biggest Winners

Shares of Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF) is up 28.26% to $39.99 on trading volume of 13.6 million shares. The teen retailer reported third-quarter earnings of 87 cents a share, better than the 59 cents a share Wall Street analysts were expecting. The 52-week high is $54.10

Shares of ZaZa Energy Corporation (NASDAQ: ZAZA) are up 11.04% to $2.01 on trading volumeof 1.6 million shares. The company’s French unit, Zaza Energy France SAS, will be sold to Vermillion Energy for $85.8 million. The 52-week high is $5.49.

Shares of Facebook, Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) are up 9.06% to $21.66 on trading volume of 100.7 million shares. The stock rise comes despite the fact that a lockup period ended, freeing up 777 million shares. The 52-week high is $45.00.

Biggest Losers

Shares of IAMGOLD Corp. (NYSE: IAG) are down 17.43% to $12.27 on trading volume of 4 million shares. The company reported earnings of 16 cents a share, below the 25 cents a share Wall Street analysts had expected. The 52-week low is $9.20.

Shares of Sony Corporation (NYSE: SNE) are down 8.26% to $9.88 on trading volume of 5.7 million shares. The struggling company announced $1.9 billion worth of convertible bonds to finance an expansion. Before Wednesday, the 52-week low was $10.61.

Samuel Weigley

Follow him on Twitter: SWeigley

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire Tagged: ANF, FB, IAG, SNE, ZAZA

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — November 13, 2012: Markets Bounce Higher, Close Lower (CL, DOW, NS, FFIV, FMS, BAGL, JEC, DKS, HD, KORS, SKS, TJX, CSCO, IAG, RENN, ANF, SPLS, TYC, WFT, GBX, TTWO, NFLX, MSFT)

Paul Ausick — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 21:07:29 +0000

U.S. equity markets opened lower this morning on softness in Asian markets and another punt in the eurozone. In Asia, China is rumored to be ready to expand its property tax program, Japanese industrial production fell 4.1% month-over-month, and Japan’s prime minister has a disapproval rating of 64%. In Europe, eurozone ministers met and adjourned and agreed to meet again next week. The ministers have essentially postponed the next tranche of aid to Greece, although the Greeks have been given an extra two years to meet the 120% deficit target (more coverage here). Greece did auction off €4 billion that should help the country meet its €5 billion debt repayment scheduled for Friday. In the U.S., the Treasury Department said this afternoon that October’s federal deficit totaled $120 billion (more coverage here). XXX

The U.S. dollar index rose slightly today, now up 0.04% at 81.066. The GSCI commodity index is down 0.3% at 634.52, with commodities prices mostly lower today. WTI crude oil closed down 0.5% today, at $85.17 a barrel. Brent crude trades down about 0.7% at $108.27 a barrel. Natural gas is up 4.7% today at about $3.74 per thousand cubic feet. Gold settled down 0.4% today at $1,724.80 an ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down nearly 59 points to 12,756.18 (-0.46%), the NASDAQ fell more than 20 points (-0.70%) to 2,883.89, and the S&P 500 fell -0.40% or nearly 6 points to 1,374.53.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Colgate-Palmolive Co. (NYSE: CL) reiterated as ‘buy’ and Focus List with a target price of $118 at Argus; Dow Chemical Co. (NYSE: DOW) raised to ‘buy’ at Goldman Sachs; NuStar Energy L.P. (NYSE: NS) raised to ‘neutral’ at Credit Suisse; F5 Networks Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV) raised to ‘buy’ at Goldman Sachs; and Fresenius Medical Care AG (NYSE: FMS) raised to ‘Conviction Buy List’ at Goldman Sachs.

Earnings reports of interest since U.S. markets closed last night have resulted in some price moves today, including these as of the last half hour of trading: Einstein Noah Restaurant Group Inc. (NASDAQ: BAGL) is up 0.9% at $15.10; Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (NYSE: JEC) is down 0.8% at $38.98; Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. (NYSE: DKS) is up 4.8% at $51.03; Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) is up 3.7% at $63.45 after posting a new 52-week high of $64.43 earlier today (more coverage here); Michael Kors Holdings Ltd. (NYSE: KORS) is up 0.8% at $50.99 (more coverage here); Saks Inc. (NYSE: SKS) is up 0.7% at $9.95 (more coverage here); and The TJX Companies Inc. (NYSE: TJX) is up 2.5% at $42.01 (more coverage here).

After markets close today and before they open tomorrow morning we are scheduled to hear from Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) (more coverage here), Iamgold Corp. (NYSE: IAG), Renren Inc. (NASDAQ: RENN), Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF), Staples Inc. (NASDAQ: SPLS), and Tyco International Ltd. (NYSE: TYC).

Some standouts from today include the following stocks:

Weatherford International Inc. (NYSE: WFT) is down 16.3% at $9.11 after posting a new 52-week low of $9.03 earlier today. The oil field services continues to work on reworking earlier operating income figures. More coverage here.

Greenbrier Companies (NYSE: GBX) is up 20.4% at $16.80. The railcar maker is now 9.9% owned by activist investor Carl Icahn, who says the company’s stock is undervalued and who also said he would like to discuss “strategic opportunities” with Greenbrier execs. Well, it makes more sense than Icahn’s investments in Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO) and Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX).

Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) is down 3% at $27.14. The world’s largest software company said today that the head of its Windows development team has left the company. More coverage here.

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

7:00 a.m. – Mortgage Bankers Association purchase applications
8:30 a.m. – Producer price index
8:30 a.m. – Retail sales
11:30 a.m. – 4- and 52-week Treasury bill auctions
2:00 p.m. – FOMC minutes

Paul Ausick

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: ANF, BAGL, CL, CSCO, DKS, DOW, FFIV, FMS, GBX, HD, IAG, JEC, KORS, MSFT, NFLX, NS, RENN, SKS, SPLS, TJX, TTWO, TYC, WFT

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — August 14, 2012: Markets Mixed Ahead of Tomorrow’s Inflation Report (GRPN, WEN, MCP, EXPE, VALE, IAG, DKS, HD, KIOR, KORS, SKS, EL, TJX, JDSU, PEIX, PAAS, ANF, A, CSIQ, DE, SPLS, TGT, ASTI)

Paul Ausick — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 20:48:00 +0000

The three major US stock indexes opened higher this morning following data showing that GDP in several countries grew better than expected (more coverage here). Which indicates that if the bar is set low enough, jumping over it is sometimes easier than crawling beneath it (more coverage here). Asian markets responded positively to the European GDP data, and most finished their day higher. July retail sales were better than expected, but the PPI showed an unexpected rise in inflation as well (more coverage here). We’ll get the official consumer price index (CPI) report tomorrow morning before the markets open in the US. Shares closed today right about where they started this morning.

The US dollar index rose slightly today, now up 0.05% at 82.478. The GSCI commodity index fell -0.04% to 653.61, with most commodities prices down today. WTI crude oil finished up 0.8% today, closing at $93.43/barrel. Brent crude trades up 0.25% at $113.88/barrel. Natural gas is up 4% today to $2.838/thousand cubic feet. Gold settled at $1,604.50/ounce, down -0.5%.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up nearly 3 points to 13,172.14 (0.02%), the NASDAQ fell nearly 6 points (0.18%) to 3,016.98, and the S&P 500 fell -0.01% or less than 1 point to 1,403.92.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Groupon Inc. (NASDAQ: GRPN) cut to ‘neutral’ at Citigroup; The Wendy’s Co. (NASDAQ: WEN) cut to ‘underweight’ at KeyBanc Capital Markets; Molycorp Inc. (NYSE: MCP) started as ‘overweight’ at Morgan Stanley; Expedia Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) cut to ‘hold’ at Stifel Nicolaus; and Vale S.A. (NYSE: VALE) cut to ‘neutral’ at BofA/ML.

Earnings reports since markets closed last last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: Iamgold Corp. (NYSE: IAG) is up 1.6% at $11.41; Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. (NYSE: DKS) is down -3.6% at $48.74; Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) is up 3.5% at $54.65 after posting a new 52-week high of $54.98 earlier today (more coverage here); Kior Inc. (NASDAQ: KIOR) is down -13.9% at $6.87; Saks Inc. (NYSE: SKS) is up 6.4% at $11.54 (more coverage here); Esteé Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE: EL) is up 9.9% at $60.44; and TJX Companies Inc. (NYSE: TJX) is up 1.6% at $44.95 (more coverage here).

Earnings releases are slowing down, but reports scheduled before tomorrow’s open include JDS Uniphase Corp. (NASDAQ: JDSU), Pacific Ethanol Inc. (NASDAQ: PEIX), Pan American Silver Corp. (NASDAQ: PAAS), Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF), Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A), Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSIQ), Deere & Co. (NYSE: DE), Staples Inc. (NASDAQ: SPLS), and Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT).

Some standouts from today include the following stocks:

Groupon Inc. (NASDAQ: GRPN) is down -26.6% at $5.54 after posting a new 52-week low of $5.46 earlier today. The Internet coupon company reported lower-than-expected revenues last night and short sellers are very likely unloading shares today. More coverage here.

Ascent Solar Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: ASTI) is up 8.7% at $1.75 after posting a new 52-week high of $2.31 earlier today. The solar cell and module maker announced a solar recharging case for the Samsung Galaxy S3 phone yesterday and shares had gained more than 50% in two days before giving some of the gain back. More coverage here.

Michael Kors Holdings Ltd. (NYSE: KORS) is up 16.3% at $49.25. The clothing maker busted results expectations this morning. More coverage here.

Stay tuned for Tuesday. Minneapolis Fed president Naryana Kocherlakota is giving a speech. We have noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

7:00 a.m. – Mortgage Bankers Association purchase applications
8:30 a.m. – Consumer price index
8:30 a.m. – Empire State manufacturing survey
9:00 a.m. – Treasury International Capital (TIC) data
9:15 a.m. – Industrial production
10:00 a.m. – Housing Market Index
10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly petroleum status report

Paul Ausick

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: A, ANF, ASTI, CSIQ, DE, DKS, EL, EXPE, GRPN, HD, IAG, JDSU, KIOR, KORS, MCP, PAAS, PEIX, SKS, SPLS, TGT, TJX, VALE, WEN

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — August 13, 2012: Markets Softer on Lack of Interest (KO, COP, YHOO, S, P, SYY, MPO, IAG, DKS, HD, KIOR, KORS, TJX, PNX, ASTI, SCLN)

Paul Ausick — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 20:04:01 +0000

The three major US stock indexes opened lower this morning as reports on Japanese (more coverage here) and Greek GDP (more coverage here). both disappointed investors. Asian markets were propped up somewhat by continued hopes for more government easing. In Europe, Finland’s prime minister said once again that he does not support more bond purchase by the European Central Bank. Volume is low again today. XX stocks closed XX

The US dollar index fell today, now down -0.17% at 82.409. The GSCI commodity index fell -0.08% to 656.21, with virtually all commodities prices down today. WTI crude oil finished down -0.2% today, closing at $92.73/barrel. Brent crude trades up 0.64% at $113.67/barrel. Natural gas is down -1.5% today to $2.728/thousand cubic feet. Gold settled at $1,612.60/ounce, down -0.6%, joining silver and WTI crude, all of which were lower today as the dollar gained against the euro and the yen.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down nearly 38 points to 13,170.05 (-0.29%), the NASDAQ rose nearly 2 points (1.66%) to 3,022.52, and the S&P 500 fell -0.12% or nearly 2 points to 1,404.14.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including The Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) cut to ‘neutral’ at Goldman Sachs; ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) raised to ‘buy’ at SocGen; Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) cut to ‘hold’ at Stifel Nicolaus; Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S) raised to ‘buy’ at BofA/ML; and Pandora Media Inc. (NYSE: P) cut to ‘equal weight’ at Morgan Stanley.

Earnings reports since markets closed last Friday have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: Sysco Corp. (NYSE: SYY) is up 4.3% at $30.08 and Midstates Petroleum Co. Inc. (NYSE: MPO) is down -2% at $7.84 (more coverage here).

Earnings releases are slowing down, but reports scheduled before tomorrow’s open include Iamgold Corp. (NYSE: IAG), Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. (NYSE: DKS), Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD), Kior Inc. (NASDAQ: KIOR), Michael Kors Holdings Ltd. (NYSE: KORS), and TJX Companies Inc. (NYSE: TJX).

Some standouts from today include the following stocks:

The Phoenix Companies Inc. (NYSE: PNX) is up 1,864% at $29.26. The insurance company completed a 1-for-20 reverse stock split today.

Ascent Solar Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: ASTI) is up 21% at $1.61. The solar cell and module maker announced a solar recharging case for the Samsung Galaxy S3 phone today. The company is having some success diversifying away from solar PV panel manufacturing.

SciClone Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: SCLN) is down -16.1% at $4.78. The drug maker’s stock was downgraded today, giving back last week’s gain on a good earnings report.

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

7:30 a.m. – National Federation of Independent Businesses small business optimism index
8:30 a.m. – Producer price index
8:30 a.m. – Retail sales
10:00 a.m. – Business inventories
11:30 a.m. – 4-week bill auction

Paul Ausick

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: ASTI, COP, DKS, HD, IAG, KIOR, KO, KORS, MPO, P, PNX, S, SCLN, SYY, TJX, YHOO

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — August 10, 2012: Market Dithers Until Last Minute (NVO, YHOO, RL, CVC, BIG, DV, JWN, NVDA, CDXS, JCP, BYI, IAG, SYY, JDSU, KID, KORS, TJX, TGT, ARO, BRCD, GME, ROST, SHLD, WMT, FIO, ATP, UBNT)

Paul Ausick — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 20:04:15 +0000

The three major US stock indexes opened lower this morning following more data from China. Both export and import data fell short, weighing on most Asian markets (more coverage here). There was little news out of Europe, so markets there also reacted poorly to the weak Chinese data. In the US, import prices fell sharply (more coverage here) and the estimates for the US corn crop were chopped again (more coverage here). Neither data point had a lasting effect on equity trading, though, and stocks managed to close higher following a burst of enthusiasm in the last half hour.

The US dollar index fell today, now down -0.11% at 82.548. The GSCI commodity index rose 0.04% to 661.65, with commodities prices mostly down today. Corn hit an all-time high of $8.43/bushel before pulling back to a loss of about -2%. WTI crude oil finished down -0.5% today, closing at $92.87/barrel. Brent crude trades down -0.11% at $113.10/barrel. Natural gas is down -6% today to $2.766/thousand cubic feet (more coverage here). Gold settled at $1,623.70/ounce, up 0.2% for the day and 0.8% for the week.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up more than 42 points to 13,207.65 (0.32%), the NASDAQ rose more than 2 points (0.07%) to 3,020.86, and the S&P 500 rose 0.22% or more than 3 points to 1,405.84.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Novo/Nordisk A/S (NYSE: NVO) cut to ‘sell’ at SocGen; Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO), cut to ‘neutral’ at BofA/ML; Ralph Lauren Corp. (NYSE: RL) cut to ‘hold’ at Argus; Cablevision Systems Corp. (NYSE: CVC) cut to ‘equal weight’ at Barclays; Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) started as ‘hold’ at Needham; and Big Lots Inc. (NYSE: BIG) cut to ‘underweight’ at JPMorgan.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: DeVry Inc. (NYSE: DV) is down -3.3% at $19.21; Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN) is up 1.8% at $56.09 (more coverage here); Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ: NVDA) is down -0.5% at $14.63 (more coverage here); Codexis Inc. (NASDAQ: CDXS) is down -20.1% at $2.46 after posting a new 52-week low of $2.40 earlier today; J.C. Penney Co. Inc. (NYSE: JCP) is up 5.6% at $23.33 (more coverage here); and Bally Technologies Inc. (NYSE: BYI) is up 6.9% at $44.88 (more coverage here).

Earnings releases are slowing down, but some important reports scheduled for next week include Iamgold Corp. (NYSE: IAG), Sysco Corp. (NYSE: SYY), JDS Uniphase Corp. (NASDAQ: JDSU), Kid Brands Inc. (NYSE: KID), Michael Kors Holdings Ltd. (NYSE: KORS), TJX Companies Inc. (NYSE: TJX), Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT), Aeropostale Inc. (NYSE: ARO), Brocade Communications Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: BRCD), GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME), Ross Stores Inc. (NASDAQ: ROST), Sears Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: SHLD), and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT).

Some standouts from today include the following stocks:

Fusion-io Inc. (NYSE: FIO) is up 30.1% at $27.50. The computer storage platform maker posted solid results last night and boosted its forecast (more coverage here).

ATP Oil & Gas Corp. (NASDAQ: ATPG) is down -70.9% at $0.38 after posting a new 52-week low of $0.31. The independent oil & gas company is believed to be preparing to file for bankruptcy.

Ubiquiti Networks Inc. (NASDAQ: UBNT) is down -42.2% at $8.67 after posting a new 52-week low of $8.52 earlier today. The wireless network products maker posted weak results last night and said it is continuing to fight counterfeiting in all parts of the world except the US.

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

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

Have a great weekend!

Paul Ausick

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: ARO, ATP, BIG, BRCD, BYI, CDXS, CVC, DV, FIO, GME, IAG, JCP, JDSU, JWN, KID, KORS, NVDA, NVO, RL, ROST, SHLD, SYY, TGT, TJX, UBNT, WMT, YHOO

Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades (ARCO, CHD, CVS, CBST, FE, G, GRPN, HCN, IAG, JIVE, MGM, PCLN, PG, RAX, TSLA, PAY, RIMM)

Jon C. Ogg — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 12:38:09 +0000

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

Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc. (NYSE: ARCO) started as Neutral at Credit Suisse.

Church & Dwight Co. Inc. (NYSE: CHD) raised to Buy at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey.

CVS Caremark Corp. (NYSE: CVS) raised to Outperform at BMO Capital Markets.

Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: CBST) started on the Conviction Buy List at Goldman Sachs.

FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) cut to Market Perform at BMO and cut to Neutral at UBS.

Genpact Ltd. (NYSE: G) cut to Underperform at BofA/ML.

Groupon Inc. (NASDAQ: GRPN) cut to Neutral at Stern Agee.

Health Care REIT Inc. (NYSE: HCN) raised to Buy at Stifel Nicolaus.

IAMGOLD Corp. (NYSE: IAG) cut to Neutral at Credit Suisse.

Jive Software Inc. (NASDAQ: JIVE) cut to Neutral at Citigroup.

MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) cut to Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley.

Priceline.com Inc. (NASDAQ: PCLN) cut to Hold at Stifel Nicolaus; shares down double-digit percentage after earnings and guidance.

Procter & Gamble Co. (NYSE: PG) named as Bear of the Day with Underperform rating at Zacks.

Rackspace Hosting, Inc. (NYSE: RAX) raised to Buy at Jefferies; shares up double-digit percentage gains after earnings.

Tesla Motors Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) started as Neutral at BofA/ML.

VeriFone Systems Inc. (NYSE: PAY) cut to Neutral at UBS.

The Globe & Mail in Canada reported on a Jefferies analyst calling the best opportunity for Research In Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ: RIMM) is to partner up with Samsung in the fight against Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Google Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) for iPhone and Android dominance.

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JON C. OGG

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Active Trader, Analyst Calls Tagged: AAPL, ARCO, CBST, CHD, CVS, FE, G, GOOG, GRPN, HCN, IAG, JIVE, MGM, PAY, PCLN, PG, RAX, RIMM, TSLA