24/7 Wall St. » LULU

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell — May 25, 2012 (EBAY, LULU, SI, CRM, FSLR, CRMT, MENT, POST, FRO, AMSC, DRYS, KUTV, SAFM, SHIP, GAME, TLB, PAY, FB)

Paul Ausick — Fri, 25 May 2012 18:04:01 +0000

Today’s edition of the Closing Bell is being published shortly after 2:00 p.m. US markets are closed Monday to observe the Memorial Day holiday. We’ll resume our normal schedule next Tuesday.

The three major US stock indexes opened marginally higher this morning as more European countries come out in support of a eurobond, a proposal Germany has flatly declined to discuss. The impasse weighed on European markets and the weight crossed the Atlantic when US markets opened today. The only new data point in the US today was better-than-expected reading on Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment index (our coverage here). The US dollar index rose today, now up 0.07% at 82.406. The GSCI commodity index is up fractionally at 618.78, with commodities prices mixed. WTI crude oil is trading up 0.12% at $90.77/barrel, and Brent crude trades up 0.31% at $106.88/barrel. Natural gas fell -4.4% today to $2.53/thousand cubic feet. Gold is trading up 0.52% today, at $1,567.90/ounce.

At 2:00 p.m. ET, the DJIA is down about 45 points at 12,484.68 (-0.36%), the NASDAQ is up more than 3 points (0.12%) at 2,842.72, and the S&P 500 is down -0.02% or less than 1 point at 1,320.43.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Ebay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) maintained as ‘buy’ with a target price of $44 at BofA/ML; Lululemon Athletica (NASDAQ: LULU) cut to ‘hold’ at KeyBanc; Siemens AG (NYSE: SI) raised to ‘buy’ at Deutsche Bank; Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM) raised to ‘outperform’ at Oppenheimer; and First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) maintained as ‘buy’ with a target price of $30 at BofA/ML.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: America’s Car-Mart Inc. (NASDAQ: CRMT) is down -7.8% at $41.52; Mentor Graphics Inc. (NASDAQ: MENT) is down -12.7% at $13.28; Post Holdings Inc. (NYSE: POST) is up 6.8% at $29.89; and Frontline Ltd. (NYSE: FRO) is up 8.8% at $5.42.

On Tuesday, we are scheduled to get earnings reports from American Superconductor Corp. (NASDAQ: AMSC), DryShips Inc. (NASDAQ: DRYS), Ku6 Media Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: KUTV), Sanderson Farms Inc. (NASDAQ: SAFM), Seanergy Maritime Holdings Group Corp. (NASDAQ: SHIP), and Shanda Games Ltd. (NASDAQ: GAME).

We’ve also reviewed this week some potential value stocks among major oil companies, gold & silver miners, conglomerates, industrials, retail, semiconductor, and solar stocks.

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

The Talbots Inc. (NYSE: TLB) is down -38.9% at $1.57. The clothing retailer failed to reach a deal with a potential private equity buyer.

Verifone Systems Inc. (NYSE: PAY) is down -15% at $38.27. The electronic payment systems company forecast a weaker-than-expected third quarter.

Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) is down -3.8% at $31.78. The social network company continues to seek a floor for its stock price.

Stay tuned for Tuesday. US markets are closed Monday to observe the Memorial Day holiday. We have also noted the following events on the schedule for Tuesday (all times Eastern):

9:00 a.m. – S&P Case-Schiller housing price index
10:00 a.m. – Conference Board consumer confidence survey
10:00 a.m. – State Street investor confidence index
10:30 a.m. – Dallas Fed manufacturing survey
11:30 a.m. – 3- and 6-month bill auction

Have a great long weekend.

Paul Ausick

Filed under: HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: AMSC, CRM, CRMT, DRYS, EBAY, FB, FRO, FSLR, GAME, KUTV, LULU, MENT, PAY, POST, SAFM, SHIP, SI, TLB

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (AFL, CRZO, EBAY, EJ, FSLR, HAIN, LULU, PCAR, RCI, CRM, SI, SRDX, SYMC)

Administrator — Fri, 25 May 2012 11:45:23 +0000

These are some of the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations seen in Wall Street research calls this Friday. No analyst calls will be made on Monday in the United States as it is a market holiday in observance of Memorial Day.

Aflac Inc. (NYSE: AFL) Maintained Buy but cut target price down from $75 to $63 at Bank of America/Merrill Lynch.

Carrizo Oil & Gas Inc. (NASDAQ: CRZO) Reinstated as Neutral with $30 target at Credit Suisse.

eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) Maintained Buy with $44 target at Bank of America/Merrill Lynch.

E-House China Holdings Limited (NYSE: EJ) Reinstated as Outperform at Credit Suisse.

First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) Reiterated Buy with $30 target at Bank of America/Merrill Lynch.

The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAIN) Started as Buy at SunTrust Robinson Humphreys.

Lululemon Athletica (NASDAQ: LULU) Cut to Hold at KeyBanc.

PACCAR (NASDAQ: PCAR) named as Value stock of the day at Zacks.

Rogers Communications (NYSE: RCI) named Bear of the Day at Zacks.

Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM) Raised to Outperform at Oppenheimer.

Siemens AG (NYSE: SI) Raised to Buy at Deutsche Bank.

SurModics, Inc. (NASDAQ: SRDX) named Bull of the Day at Zacks.

Symantec Corporation (NASDAQ: SYMC) Maintained Neutral with $20 target at Bank of America/Merrill Lynch.

Here were Thursday’s Five Highly Unusual Upgrades and Downgrades which really stood out or which moved stocks.

If you enjoyed the top analyst upgrades and downgrades, you can join our free email newsletter that includes analyst summaries each morning sent right to your inbox. We also cover top issues such as IPOs, special financial exclusives, mergers and more. Sign up in the box below.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: AFL, CRM, CRZO, EBAY, EJ, FSLR, HAIN, LULU, PCAR, RCI, SI, SRDX, SYMC

Only A Few Big Retail/Apparel Winners Expected For April (JWN, SKS, LULU, KORS, AEO)

Administrator — Wed, 02 May 2012 16:26:34 +0000

The final projections from Retail Metrics are out and April is looking as though the same-store sales are going to come in up only 1.5%. If so, this will mark the lowest gain since October 2010. We have focused on the retail and apparel sector here to keep it focused and there are several issues that are expected to hurt this April.

For starters, an earlier Easter by 16 days pushed sales out of April into March. Weak private sector employment data is not helping. A very warm February and March likely acted as a pull-forward in sales away from April, and a later Mother’s Day most likely pushed some April sales out into May. Another issue is the elevated but abating price of gasoline for consumers. The gain of 8.7% in April 2011 is also making further gains more difficult by comparison.

The Monthly Retail Metrics economic diffusion index has rolled over and is now more negative data points than positive for the first time in months. Here are some of the expected double-digit winners:

In large-format upscale apparel retail stores it is Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN) that is expected to have the highest marks with same-store sales gains of 6.2%. Saks Inc. (NYSE: SKS) is expected to be up 5.6%

Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ: LULU) may not be considered a ‘fashion’ retailer based upon its yoga and exercise theme, but the expectation is for gains of 21.8% for April same-store sales.

Michael Kors Holdings Ltd. (NYSE: KORS) sells through licensing but also has its own network of stores. Retail Metrics sees it posting a massive 34.4% in same-store sales gains.

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE: AEO) is already seeing its shares urge by over 11% to $19.99 after it raised guidance based upon sales gains of 17% for stores open at least a year if you include the AEO Direct site.

Keep in mind that many retail outlets have seen two years or more of solid sales gains and that many of these stocks have risen excessively. It might be getting easier to argue that the retail sector shares have risen enough that any bad news is not likely to be received too well by investors.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Apparel, Consumer Goods, Economy, Luxury, Retail Tagged: AEO, JWN, KORS, LULU, SKS

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (GPS, BBY, LULU, MU, RIMM, MY, FINL, FES, DDMG, PBY, ENPH, ZAZA, LIZ)

Paul Ausick — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 20:06:22 +0000

Markets opened higher this morning and after a decline in mid-morning moved higher and wobbled around modest gain to the beginning of the last hour of trading today. This morning’s report on personal income and spending was mildly positive(our coverage here) and the consumer sentiment poll surprised investors by climbing higher than expected (our coverage here). Only the Chicago PMI reading was a disappointment (our coverage here). The US dollar index fell today, now down -0.26% at 78.980. Commodities were mixed on the weaker dollar, with corn and wheat rising the most. WTI crude oil closed up about 0.2% at $103.02/barrel, and Brent crude trades up 0.53% at $123.04/barrel. WTI crude gained 4.2% in the first quarter. Gold settled up 1% today, at $1,671.90/ounce, bringing the yellow metal to a gain of 6.7% for the quarter.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up nearly 66 points to 13,211.74 (0.50%), the NASDAQ fell nearly 4 points (-0.12%) to 3,091.57, and the S&P 500 rose 0.37% or about 5 points to 1,408.46.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) raised to ‘buy’ at Janney; Best Buy Co. Inc. (NYSE: BBY) maintained as ‘hold’ at Argus; Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ: LULU) started as ‘buy’ at UBS; Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MU) reiterated ‘buy’ with an $11 target price at Jefferies; and Research in Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ: RIMM) maintained as ‘underperform’ with a $12 target price at Jefferies.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: China Ming Yang Power Group Ltd. (NYSE: MY) is up 4.9% at $2.35; Research in Motion is up 6.8% at $14.67 (more coverage here); and Finish Line Inc. (NASDAQ: FINL) is down nearly -16% at $21.34 (more coverage here). After markets close today Forbes Energy Services Ltd. (NASDAQ: FES) will report earnings. Before markets open on Monday we’ll get earnings from Digital Domain Media Group Inc. (NYSE: DDMG) and Pep Boys – Manny Moe and Jack (NYSE: PBY), which is essentially meaningless now that the Pep Boys are being acquired by a private equity firm.

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

Enphase Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: ENPH) is up more than 19% at $7.16 after posting an intra-day on its IPO day of $8.24. More coverage here.

ZaZa Energy Corp. (NASDAQ: ZAZA) is up more than 21% at $4.74. The independent oil & gas driller acquired new acreage in a liquids-rich shale play in East Texas.

Liz Claiborne Inc. (NYSE: LIZ) is up about 12% at $13.26 after posting a new 52-week high of $15.39 earlier today. The Wall Street Journal reported that the company was in takeover talks with several private equity firms for about $20/share.

Stay tuned for Monday. St. Louis Fed President James Bullard and Cleveland Fed President Sandra Pianalto are giving speeches. We have also noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

10:00 a.m. – Institute for Supply Management manufacturing index
10:00 a.m. – Construction spending
11:30 a.m. – 3- and 6-month bill auction

Have a great weekend!

Paul Ausick

Filed under: HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: BBY, DDMG, ENPH, FES, FINL, GPS, LIZ, LULU, MU, MY, PBY, RIMM, ZAZA

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (BBY, BWLD, CR, EMC, EXLP, GPS, IBN, INVN, LULU, MU, PAAS, BTU, RTN, RIMM, VVUS)

Administrator — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 12:07:22 +0000

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

Best Buy Co. Inc. (NYSE: BBY) Maintained Hold at Argus.

Buffalo Wild Wings Inc. (NASDAQ: BWLD) Started as Equal-Weight at Morgan Stanley.

Crane Company (NYSE: CR) named as Value stock of the day at Zacks.

EMC Inc. (NYSE: EMC) Reiterated Buy and Raised target to $36 at Argus.

Exterran Partners L.P. (NYSE: EXLP) Started as Neutral with $23 target at Credit Suisse.

Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) Raised to Buy at Janney.

ICICI Bank Ltd. (NYSE: IBN) named Bull of the Day at Zacks.

InvenSense, Inc. (NASDAQ: INVN) Cut to Perform at Oppenheimer; Started as Equal-weight at Morgan Stanley.

Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ: LULU) Started as Buy at UBS.

Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MU) Reiterated Buy with $11 target at Jefferies.

Pan American Silver Corporation (NASDAQ: PAAS) Started as Buy at Deutsche Bank.

Peabody Energy Corporation (NYSE: BTU) named Bear of the Day at Zacks.

Raytheon Co. (NYSE: RTN) Cut to Sector Perform at RBC.

Research in Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ: RIMM) Maintained Underperform with $12 target at Jefferies.

VIVUS Inc. (NASDAQ: VVUS) Raised to Buy at Brean Murray.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: BBY, BTU, BWLD, CR, EMC, EXLP, GPS, IBN, INVN, LULU, MU, PAAS, RIMM, RTN, VVUS

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (XOM, WDC, RAX, NLY, EMR, BBX, CAG, GME, IHS, LULU, PERY, SONC, NCTY, DG, DISCA, RGR, SWHC, BTFG, DMND)

Paul Ausick — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 20:06:33 +0000

Markets opened sharply this morning and remained in negative territory all day. Purchasing managers’ indexes in the eurozone and in China came in lower than expected this morning, weighing European and Asian shares. The US dollar index rose slightly today, now up 0.10% at 79.733. Commodities were mixed on the dollar strength, with grains and sugar higher, and most other commodities lower. The US EIA weekly natural gas storage report showed a gain of 11 billion cubic feet in US inventories, sending natural gas prices tumbling nearly -4%. (our coverage here). WTI crude oil closed down -1.8% at $105.35/barrel, and Brent crude trades down -0.88% at $123.11/barrel. Gold settled down -0.5% today, at $1,642.50/ounce, a nine-week low.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down more than 78 points to 13,046.14 (-0.60%), the NASDAQ fell 12 points (-0.39%) to 3,063,32, and the S&P 500 fell -0.72% or about 10 points to 1,392,79.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) raised to ‘neutral’ with a $92 target price at JPMorgan; Western Digital Corp. (NYSE: WDC) raised to ‘strong buy’ at Needham; Rackspace Hosting Inc. (NYSE: RAX) cut to ‘neutral’ at Goldman Sachs; Annaly Capital Management Inc. (NYSE: NLY) cut to ‘underperform’ at Sterne Agee; and Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE: EMR) raised to ‘buy’ at Nomura.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: BankAtlantic Bancorp Inc. (NYSE: BBX) is down -1.7% at $3.97; ConAgra Foods Inc. (NYSE: CAG) is down -0.6% at $26.21; Gamestop Corp. (NYSE: GME) is down -6% at $23.17; IHS Inc. (NYSE: IHS) is down -4.9% at $92.89; Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ: LULU) is up 2.9% at $76.20 after posting a new 52-week high of $76.66 earlier today; Perry Ellis International Inc. (NASDAQ: PERY) is up 3% at $18.42; Sonic Corp. (NASDAQ: SONC) is down -6.8% at $7.50; and The9 Ltd. (NASDAQ: NCTY) is down -5% at $7.01.

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

Dollar General Corp. (NYSE: DG) is up 3.33% at $46.24 after posting a new 52-week high of $46.95 earlier today. The discount retailer posted better than expected earnings results. More coverage here.

Discovery Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: DISCA) is down -0.35% at $48.16. The cable network may take a big loss its investment in the Oprah Winfrey Network. More coverage here.

Sturm, Ruger & Co. (NYSE: RGR) is up 13.4% at $47.95 after posting a new 52-week high today of $48.24. Smith & Wesson Holdings Co. (NASDAQ: SWHC) is up nearly 14% at $7.84 after posting a new 52-week high of $8.00. The gunmakers are rising on Ruger’s announcement that it will not be accepting any new orders until May because it is fully booked. More coverage here.

Banc Trust Financial Group Inc. (NASDAQ: BTFG) is down more than -18% at $1.22. The bank holding company warned on earnings this morning. More coverage here.

Diamond Foods Inc. (NASDAQ: DMND) is down -8% at $23.59. The snack food maker is suspending its dividend. More coverage here.

Stay tuned for Friday. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart, and St. Louis Fed President James Bullard are giving speeches. We have also noted the following event on the schedule (all times Eastern):

10:00 a.m. – New home sales

Paul Ausick

Filed under: HI/LOW, Market Close, The Day Tagged: BBX, BTFG, CAG, DG, DISCA, DMND, EMR, GME, IHS, LULU, NCTY, NLY, PERY, RAX, RGR, SONC, SWHC, WDC, XOM

Will Lululemon Outshine Nike on Earnings? (LULU, NKE)

Administrator — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 17:50:52 +0000

This Thursday will bring earnings reports from both Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ: LULU) and Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE). Nike is a far larger company and far more important in the world of finance when it comes to peers, but Lululemon has a much more volatile history around earnings with large moves that attract traders. Lululemon is now within 2% of its all-time just hit last week and it has a market value of $10.5 billion. Nike hit yet another all-time high of $112.50 on Monday and its market value is over $51 billion.

Lululemon Athletica has estimates from Thomson Reuters of $0.49 EPS on $362.37 million in revenues; next quarter estimates are $0.30 EPS on $257.07 million in revenues. For the year January 2013, estimates are $1.60 EPS on $1.31 billion in revenues. Lulu hit a new high of $74.50 on Friday and the consensus analyst target is $67.94. Nike has estimates from Thomson Reuters of $1.16 EPS on $5.8 billion in revenues. The coming quarter is expected to be $1.41 EPS on $6.59 billion in sales. Analysts have a consensus target of $112.69 for Nike.

Nike often beats earnings, but on a predictable basis. It also had wide currency fluctuations. Lululemon has not been as predictable on just how much it can beat earnings or raise guidance of late, but you wouldn’t know it with a fresh all-time high. It seems like an easy observation to say that both companies will need to do very well when they report earnings on Thursday to keep profit takers from lightening up in these shares.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Apparel, Earnings Tagged: LULU, NKE

Earning Previews: Nike Versus Lululemon (NKE, LULU)

Administrator — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 16:09:59 +0000

This coming Thursday should be an interesting earnings day as we have earnings due from both Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) and Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ: LULU). Nike is far larger with a $51 billion market cap and shares at an all-time high. Lululemon has been on fire after hitting a new all-time high on Friday with a market cap of nearly $10.5 billion.

Nike has estimates from Thomson Reuters of $1.16 EPS on $5.8 billion in revenues. The coming quarter is expected to be $1.41 EPS on $6.59 billion in sales. Shares appear to have hit a new all-time high of $111.78 on Friday. Analysts have a consensus target of $111.60 for Nike.

Both companies are going to need to do very well in their earnings reports if they want their shares to continue running higher.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Apparel, Earnings Tagged: LULU, NKE

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (AAPL, ADP, KFT, PG, MCO, LULU, ADGF, CHTP, AEO, BWS, CSIQ, CTIC, HOV, TRCR, MAG, BONT, P, VRML)

Paul Ausick — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 21:10:13 +0000

US stocks opened higher this morning following an in-line report from ADP on US employment gains. There was little economic news out today, but we can anticipate tomorrow’s report on new jobless claims and, of course, the biggie, Friday’s report on non-farm payrolls. By mid-morning stocks were solidly higher and have been trading more than half a point pretty consistently. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) pretty well shut down the afternoon news with its new iPad announcement (more coverage here). The dollar was weaker this morning and has fluctuated somewhat on the downside all day, trading down -0.12% now at 79.715. Crude oil has been higher on the weaker greenback, with WTI closing up 1.4% at $106.16/barrel and Brent crude up 1.99% at $124.41/barrel. Gold rose 0.7% today, settling at $1,683.90/ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up nearly 79 points to 12,837.78 (0.62%), the NASDAQ rose more than 25 points (0.87%) to 2,935.69, and the S&P 500 rose 0.69% or more than 9 points to 1,352.63.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Automatic Data Processing Inc. (NYSE: ADP) raised to ‘Focus List’ at Credit Suisse; Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE: KFT) cut to ‘hold’ at Jefferies; Proctor & Gamble (NYSE: PG) raised to ‘overweight’ at JPMorgan; Moody’s Corp. (NYSE: MCO) cut to ‘neutral at UBS; and Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ: LULU) raised to ‘outperform’ at Credit Suisse.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: Adams Golf Inc. (NASDAQ: ADGF) is up 1.7% at $9.60; Chelsea Therapeutics International Inc. (NASDAQ: CHTP) is up 2.3% at $3.57; American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (NYSE: AEO) is up 6.1% at $15.52; Brown Shoe Co. Inc. (NYSE: BWS) is down -9.3% at $9.46; Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSIQ) is down -12.8% at $2.86; Cell Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: CTIC) is up 0.80% at $1.26; and Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. (NYSE: HOV) is up 3.3% at $2.48.

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

Transcend Services Inc. (NASDAQ: TRCR) is up more than 39% at $29.24. The medical transcription service is being acquired by Nuance Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: NUAN) for $300 million in net cash ($29.50/share). More coverage here.

Magnetek Inc. (NASDAQ: MAG) is up 22% at $17.50. The electrical equipment maker posted a robust quarterly earnings report today.

The Bon Ton Stores Inc. (NASDAQ: BONT) is up more than 32% at $6.95. The retailer reported lower-than-expected earnings and revenues, but its forecast is above expectations.

Pandora Media Inc. (NYSE: P) is down more than -24% at $10.83. The Internet radio company posted worse than expected earnings last night. More coverage here.

Vermillion Inc. (NASDAQ: VRML) is down -29% at $2.13. The medical device maker’s stock more than doubled yesterday, and today’s action is likely a bit of profit-taking following an analyst’s downgrade. More coverage here.

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

7:30 a.m. – Challenger Gray & Christmas job-cut report
8:30 a.m. – New unemployment benefits claims
10.00 a.m. – Census Bureau quarterly services survey
10:30 a.m. – EIA natural gas storage report
4:30 p.m. – Federal Reserve balance sheet and money supply

Paul Ausick

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire Tagged: AAPL, ADGF, ADP,, AEO, BONT, BWS, CHTP, CSIQ, CTIC, HOV, KFT, LULU, MAG, MCO, P, PG, TRCR, VRML

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (AAPL, ADP, ESRX, GGP, KFT, LULU, MHS, MCO, P, PG, VRSK, VRML)

Administrator — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 13:03:58 +0000

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

Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) named Bull of the Day and raised to Outperform with $654 target at Zacks.

Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADP) Raised to Focus List at Credit Suisse.

Express Scripts, Inc. (NASDAQ: ESRX) Raised to Outperform at Macquarie.

General Growth Properties (NYSE: GGP) Started as Neutral at Citigroup.

Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE: KFT) Cut to Hold at Jefferies.

Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ: LULU) Raised to Outperform at Credit Suisse.

MedcoHealth Solutions Inc. (NYSE: MHS) Cut to Neutral at Macquarie.

Moody’s Corporation (NYSE: MCO) Started as Neutral at UBS.

Pandora Media, Inc. (NYSE: P) Cut to Market Perform at Raymond James; Cut to Neutral at Citigroup.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) Raised to Overweight at JPMorgan.

Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSK) Started as Neutral at UBS.

Vermillion, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRML) Cut to Sell at Ladenberg Thalmann.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Analyst Calls Tagged: AAPL, ADP,, ESRX, GGP, KFT, LULU, MCO, MHS, P, PG, VRML, VRSK