24/7 Wall St. » MDT

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (ACI, CAB, CHL, DKS, DHI, GFIG, GMCR, HLF, JNJ, KBH, KSS, LEN, LPNT, MDT, TOL, WTW)

Administrator — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 13:20:08 +0000

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

Arch Coal, Inc. (NYSE: ACI) Cut to Market Perform at BMO.

Cabela’s, Inc. (NYSE: CAB) named as Bull of the Day at Zacks.

China Mobile Limited (NYSE: CHL) Raised to Buy at Goldman Sachs.

Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. (NYSE: DKS) Started as Buy at Argus.

D.R. Horton (NYSE: DHI) Raised to Outperform at Credit Suisse.

GFI Group (NASDAQ: GFIG) Raised to Outperform at Keefe Bruyette & Woods.

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR) Cut to Neutral at BofA/ML.

Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE: HLF) Started as Overweight at Barclays.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) Started as Hold at Jefferies.

KB Home (NYSE: KBH) named Bear of the Day at Zacks.

Kohl’s Corporation (NYSE: KSS) Raised to Buy at Jefferies.

Lennar Corporation (NYSE: LEN) Raised to Outperform at Credit Suisse.

LifePoint Hospitals, Inc. (NASDAQ: LPNT) Started as Buy at Cantor Fitzgerald.

Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) Cut to Sell at Argus.

Toll Brothers Inc. (NYSE: TOL) Raised to Outperform at Credit Suisse.

Weight Watchers International Inc. (NYSE: WTW) Started as Overweight at Barclays.

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: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Analyst Calls Tagged: ACI, CAB, CHL, DHI, DKS, GFIG, GMCR, HLF, JNJ, KBH, KSS, LEN, LPNT, MDT, TOL, WTW

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (ASX, AAPL, BX, BRCM, CIEN, CMA, DELL, DNDN, DANG, GILD, MDT, MOS, EDU, SPIL, TSM)

Administrator — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:05:35 +0000

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

Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Inc. (NYSE: ASX) Cut to Neutral at BofA/ML.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) Reiterated Outperform but raised target to $600 at Credit Suisse.
The Blackstone Group LP (NYSE: BX) Raised to Buy at Goldman Sachs.
Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ: BRCM) Reiterated Buy with $46 target at Argus.
Ciena Inc. (NASDAQ: CIEN) Maintained Buy with $21 target at Argus.
Comerica Inc. (NYSE: CMA) Cut to Sell at Stifel Nicolaus.
Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) Cut to Neutral at Citigroup; Cut to Hold at Needham.
Dendreon Corporation (NASDAQ: DNDN) Started as Neutral at Citigroup.
E-commerce China Dangdang Inc. (NYSE: DANG) Raised to Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ: GILD) Cut to Market Perform at Bernstein.
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) Cut to Neutral at Credit Suisse.
The Mosaic Co. (NYSE: MOS) Raised to Buy at Canaccord Genuity.
New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. (NYSE: EDU) Started as Buy at Jefferies.
Siliconware Precision Industries Co., Ltd. (NASDAQ: SPIL) Cut to Neutral at BofA/ML.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (NYSE: TSM) Cut to Neutral at BofA/ML.

If you enjoyed the top analyst upgrades and downgrades, you can sign up in the box below to join our morning email list to receive news directly in your inbox each morning. We include major analyst upgrades and downgrades, IPO and M&A news, special situation developments, observations on Warren Buffett and key market gurus, as well as special exclusive feature stories.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Analyst Calls Tagged: AAPL, ASX, BRCM, BX, CIEN, CMA, DANG, DELL, DNDN, EDU, GILD, MDT, MOS, SPIL, TSM

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (ORCL, ITRI, CSX, ABB, GILD, BKS, BYD, CCO, CIE, DTG, HL, JAKK, M, MDT, PXD, SKS, WLK, THLD, CORT, GTXI, CHTP, WMT, WFT)

Paul Ausick — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 21:05:23 +0000

US markets opened higher this morning and traded higher for most of the day. The DJIA briefly rose above 13,000 for the first time in nearly 3 years. But in the early afternoon, apparently as a result of a failure to break through the 13,000 barrier, stocks turned south and all three indexes fell below their openings. The announced settlement in Greece boosted the market early, and climbing crude oil prices helped energy stocks all day. Commodity prices also rose today as the dollar lost strength. Crude oil was up sharply, with WTI crude up more than 2% at $105.50/barrel and Brent up 0.81% at $121.02/barrel. Gold settled at $1,758.50, up 1.9%, and a two-week high.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up about 16 points to 12,965.99 (0.12%), the NASDAQ fell more than 3 points (-0.11%) to 2,948.57, and the S&P 500 rose 0.07% or nearly 1 point to 1,362.23.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Oracle Corp. (NASDAQ: ORCL) cut to ‘market perform’ at JMP Securities; Itron Inc. (NASDAQ: ITRI) cut to ‘neutral’ at Credit Suisse; CSX Corp. (NYSE: CSX) cut to ‘neutral’ at JPMorgan; ABB Ltd. (NYSE: ABB) cut to ‘equal weight’ at Morgan Stanley; and Gilead Sciences Inc. (NYSE: GILD) cut to ‘equal weight’ at Barclays.

Earnings reports since markets closed last Friday have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: Barnes & Noble Inc. (NYSE: BKS) is down -4.65% at $12.50 (more coverage here); Boyd Gaming Corp. (NYSE: BYD) is down -10.6% at $8.57; Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings Inc. (NYSE: CCO) is down -3.65% at $12.16; Cobalt International Energy Inc. (NYSE: CIE) is down -6.9% at $31.67; Dollar Thrifty Auto Group Inc. (NYSE: DTG) is up 2.3% at $75.08; Hecla Mining Co. (NYSE: HL) is up 9.6% at $5.50; JAKKS Pacific Inc. (NASDAQ: JAKK) is up 0.7% at $15.16; Macy’s Inc. (NYSE: M) is up 0.8% at $36.53 after posting a new 52-week high earlier today of $38.21; Medtronic Inc. (NYSE: MDT) is down -2.6% at $38.92; Pioneer Drilling Co. (NYSE: PXD) is down -0.2% at $113.45; Saks Inc. (NYSE: SKS) is up 3.4% at $11.24; Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) is down -4.1% at $59.90; and Westlake Chemical Corp. (NYSE: WLK) is down -4.2% at $57.93.

We have a preview of tomorrow’s earnings reports here.

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

Threshold Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: THLD) is up more than 43% at $5.06 after posting a new 52-week high of $6.65 earlier today. The pharmaceutical maker announced positive results for its pancreatic cancer treatment.

Corcept Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: CORT) is up 49% at $4.52. The drug maker has received FDA approval for its Cushing Syndrome treatment.

GTx Inc. (NASDAQ: GTXI) is down more than -36% at $3.70. The drug maker reported that the FDA issued a clinical hold on further trials of its prostate cancer treatment.

Chelsea Therapeutics International Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHTP) is down nearly -18% at $2.75 after posting a new 52-weekl low of $2.18 earlier today. The development stage drug maker meets with an FDA panel on Thursday to review clinical data on a new drug application. More coverage here.

Weatherford International Ltd. (NYSE: WFT) is down nearly -14% at $15.34. The oil field services company will restate prior earnings due to what the company calls “material weakness in internal controls over financial reporting for income taxes relating to current taxes payable, certain deferred tax assets and liabilities, reserves for uncertain tax positions, and current and deferred income tax expense.” Weatherford expects to take a charge for $225-$250 million for the years before 2010. More coverage here.

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

7:00 a.m. – Mortgage Bankers Association purchase applications
10:00 a.m. – Existing home sales
11:30 a.m. – 4-week bill auction
1:00 p.m. – 5-year note auction

Paul Ausick

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire Tagged: ABB, BKS, BYD, CCO, CHTP, CIE, CORT, CSX, DTG, GILD, GTXI, HL, ITRI, JAKK, M, MDT, ORCL, PXD, SKS, THLD, WFT, WLK, WMT

Top Med-Tech Stock Picks for 2012 (BSX, ISRG, STJ)

Administrator — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 22:06:15 +0000

Many research firms have been coming up with their best ideas lists for 2012. Today brought a list of top picks in the medical technology and medical devices sector from Zacks Investment Research. We have decided to focus on three picks with some commentary and observations of our own along with the consensus upside from Thomson Reuters rather than just the full Zacks list: Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX); Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ: ISRG); and St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE: STJ). There is also a link on each for you to get the full report on each from Zacks.

Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) is a bit of a surprise to see as a top pick considering that this company’s stock is not just under $10.00 now… It is barely a $5.00 stock. The drug-eluting stent share and a recent approval are driving the decision. The consensus analyst price target from Thomson Reuters is roughly $7.00, implying about 35% upside from here. FULL BOSTON SCIENTIFIC REPORT

Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ: ISRG) is not so interesting as a top pick because of any sort of controversy, but it is interesting as a top pick considering that it is up more than 50% in 2011. At $440.73 and with a high of $449.06, this stock is trading right at the consensus analyst target price from Thomson Reuters of $440.10. FULL INTUITIVE REPORT

St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE: STJ) may seem like a bottom-fishing pick as shares are down about 40% from the annual highs. At $33.67, the Thomson Reuters consensus price target has an implied 32% of upside to the $44.38 price target. Zacks called it better placed against other medical devices stocks in the cardiovascular sector, with positive earnings surprises and healthy revenue growth. FULL ST. JUDE REPORT

Others on the top picks list for 2012 by Zacks are Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), Stryker Corporation (NYSE: SYK), Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. (NYSE: TMO), and ZOLL Medical Corporation (NASDAQ: ZOLL).

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls, Medical, Value Investing Tagged: BSX, ISRG, MDT, STJ, SYK, TMO, ZOLL

Top Active Trader & Day Trader Alerts (BAC, CPB, CHS, FMCN, EGPT, HAR, HPQ, JACK, MDT, NFLX, SNDA)

Administrator — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 13:44:26 +0000

This may be a short and choppy week, but we have many bits of news for active traders and day traders this Tuesday morning. We have included news and given a summary of the moves in the following stocks this Tuesday: Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC); Brocade Communications Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: BRCD); Campbell Soup Company (NYSE: CPB); Chico’s FAS, Inc. (NYSE: CHS); Focus Media Holding Ltd. (NASDAQ: FMCN); Market Vectors Egypt Index ETF (NYSE: EGPT); Harman International Industries Inc. (NYSE: HAR); Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ); Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ: JACK); Medtronic Inc. (NYSE: MDT); Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX); and Shanda Interactive Entertainment Ltd. (NASDAQ: SNDA).

Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC) is actually indicated higher this morning by over 1% at $5.57 despite reports that it has been warned by regulators to bolster its financial position.

Brocade Communications Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: BRCD) may have turned in a net loss after items and options, but non-GAAP earnings were $0.16 EPS and $550 million versus estimates of $0.14 EPS and $527.4 million. Shares were up 6% last night and the $4.48 close of Monday is still up 6.7% at $4.78 on Tuesday morning.

Campbell Soup Company (NYSE: CPB) reported that normalized earnings were down nominally from a year earlier at $0.82 EPS and that sales fell 1% to $2.16 billion; estimates were $0.79 EPS on $2.2 billion in sales.

Chico’s FAS, Inc. (NYSE: CHS) reported that its third-quarter earnings was $0.16 EPS but after $0.02 in acquisition costs, while estimates were $0.20 EPS. Sales were $538.5 million versus estimates of $548.5 million. Same-store sales in the quarter rose 3.7% versus 5% or more expected and it turned in another $0.05 dividend for a 1.8% or so dividend yield.

Focus Media Holding Ltd. (NASDAQ: FMCN) was crushed yesterday with roughly a 40% drop after short seller Muddy Waters raised concerns about the company. The company has denied the allegations and said that the information provided was misrepresented. Shares are trading up 12% at $17.40 so far this morning, but this is a fluid situation and the “Muddy Waters” stocks tend to remain highly volatile for a period after a report of this sort is issued.

Market Vectors Egypt Index ETF (NYSE: EGPT) has not traded but trading on the Egyptian Exchange was halted after a 4.5% broad market drop due to continues protests and violence in Cairo after reports of dozens of deaths.

Harman International (NYSE: HAR) had its CEO featured on a Jim Cramer interview last night and Cramer said it is now getting to be a bargain at barely 10-times earnings with 20% growth possibilities. Zacks also named it the value stock of the day this morning.

Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ) is now down 1% at $26.59 despite having been up almost 4% after earnings. Some wanted a better path to a return of growth but frankly the report and even the lower guidance should have been enough to quell at least some fears about the company.

Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ: JACK) was up 4% in the after-hours on Monday after beating earnings estimates with higher same-store sales. Volume is very light and the stock is only indicated up 1% so far in early bird trading.

Medtronic Inc. (NYSE: MDT) has reported earnings of $0.84 EPS adjusted on $4.13 billion in sales; estimates were $0.82 EPS and $4.1 billion in sales. The medical devices giant has guided its fiscal year (April-2012) to $3.43 to $3.50 EPS versus estimates of $3.44 EPS.

Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) had its secondary and placement offering announcement last night and now shares are getting hit all over again after a SELL rating was slapped on the stock. Netflix is trading down 5.2% at $70.60 in active trading.

Shanda Interactive Entertainment Ltd. (NASDAQ: SNDA) is getting acquired after receiving a “going private” letter a month ago. Monday’s ADS close in New York was $39.39 and the buyout price $41.35 per ADS.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Pre-Market Activity, Trading Alert Tagged: BAC, CHS, CPB, EGPT, FMCN, HAR, HPQ, JACK, MDT, NFLX, SNDA

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (FCX, CECO, CLX, COL, BSX, MDT, FICO, LAMR, OWW, KSWS, RIG, MDVN, SNSTA, SONO, DNDN, ANF, CLWR)

Paul Ausick — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 20:05:46 +0000

Stock markets. Equity markets opened sharply higher this morning before falling into negative territory before the ISM and factory order reports were released. The ISM index came in lower than expected, but factory orders grew by 0.3%, slightly better than expected. New pressure on Greece to forgo its referendum on the EU bailout package helped push share prices up, as did strength in tech stocks. Crude oil is up nearly 1.5% and gold is up nearly 2%, while the dollar is down against both the euro and the British pound.

Closing bell. The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up more than 207 points to 12,043.19 (1.75%), the NASDAQ rose nearly 58 points (2.2%) to 2,697.97, and the S&P 500 rose 1.87% or more than 23 points to 1,261.10.

Analyst upgrades and downgrades. There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold Inc. (NYSE: FCX) started at ‘overweight’ at Barclays. Career Education Corp. (NASDAQ: CECO), Clorox Corp. (NYSE: CLX), and Rockwell Collins Inc. (NYSE: COL) were cut to ‘underperform’ at BofA/Merrill Lynch; and Boston Scientific Corp. (NYSE: BSX) and Medtronic Inc. (NYSE: MDT) were started as ‘outperform’ at Credit Suisse.

Market reacts to earnings. Here are today’s big post-earnings news reactions with prices during the last half-hour of trading: Fair Isaac Corp. (NYSE: FICO) is up about 25%, at $33.95; Lamar Advertising Co. (NASDAQ: LAMR) is up nearly 25%, at $26.18; Orbitz Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: OWW) is up 40%, at $2.66; K-Swiss Inc. (NASDAQ: KSWS) is down more than -33%, at $3.09; and Transocean Ltd. (NYSE: RIG) is down about -13%, at $48.73.

Several other standouts from today are as follows…

Medivation Inc. (NASDAQ: MDVN) is up 140%, at $39.74 after posting a new 52-week high of $40.15 earlier today. The company reported that an experimental prostate cancer drug reduced death risk by 37%.

Sonesta International Hotels Corp. (NASDAQ: SNSTA) is up nearly 41%, at $30.65 after posting a new 52-week high of $31.06. The company has agreed to be acquired for $31/share by an affiliate of Hospitality Properties Trust (NYSE: HPT).

SonoSite, Inc. (NASDAQ: SONO) is up about 29%, at 39.62 after posting a new 52-week high of $40 earlier today. Sonosite is reported to have hired Morgan Stanley to find a buyer for the company and talks are already in progress with potential buyers, including Samsung Electronics.

Dendreon Corp. (NASDAQ: DNDN) is down more than -37%, at $6.53 after setting a new 52-week low of $6.52 earlier today. The company today reiterated its forecast for only modest sales of its Provenge anti-cancer drug.

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF) is down nearly -20%, at $59.51. The company reported slowing sales in Europe, a region where the company had pinned its hopes for growth.

Clearwire Corp. (NASDAQ: CLWR) is down about -14%, at $1.75. The company is seeking additional financing and has been unable to get its largest customer and majority shareholder Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S) to commit to the financing.

Stay tuned for Friday. The G-20 summit opened today and will continue meeting tomorrow and over the weekend. Monster Worldwide Inc. (NYSE: MWW) releases its October report on US online job demand. We have noted the following event (all times Eastern):

8:30 a.m. – Non-farm payroll data for October

Paul Ausick

Filed under: Market Close Tagged: ANF, BSX, CECO, CLWR, CLX, COL, DNDN, FCX, FICO, KSWS, LAMR, MDT, MDVN, OWW, RIG, SNSTA, SONO

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (NLY, BSX, CECO, CLX, CNH, DNDN, FCX, HXL, HSP, MDT, COL, SWIR, STJ, SLF, TEVA, TDW, WYN)

Administrator — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 12:34:47 +0000

These are some of Thursday’s top analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen from Wall Street research calls.

Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE: NLY) Raised to Outperform at Wells Fargo.
Boston Scientific Corp. (NYSE: BSX) Started as Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Career Education Corp. (NASDAQ: CECO) Cut to Underperform at BofA/ML.
Clorox Corp. (NYSE: CLX) Cut to Underperform at BofA/ML.
CNH Global N.V. (NYSE: CNH) named as Value stock of the day at Zacks.
Dendreon Corporation (NASDAQ: DNDN) Cut to Neutral at Goldman Sachs.
Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (NYSE: FCX) Started as Overweight at Barclays.
Hexcel Corporation (NYSE: HXL) Cut to Neutral at BofA/ML.
Hospira Inc. (NYSE: HSP) cut to Underperform ar Bear of the Day at Zacks.
Medtronic Inc. (NYSE: MDT) Started as Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Rockwell Collins Inc. (NYSE: COL) Cut to Underperform at BofA/ML.
Sierra Wireless Inc. (NASDAQ: SWIR) downgraded at Raymond James and Morgan Keegan.
St. Jude Medical (NYSE: STJ) Started as Neutral at Credit Suisse.
Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE: SLF) Cut to Underperform at Credit Suisse.
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited (NASDAQ: TEVA) Raised to Overweight at Morgan Stanley.
Tidewater Inc. (NYSE: TDW) Cut to Hold at Argus.
Wyndam Worldwide (NYSE: WYN) named Bull of the Day at Zacks.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: BSX, CECO, CLX, CNH, COL, DNDN, FCX, HSP, HXL, MDT, NLY, SLF, STJ, SWIR, TDW, TEVA, WYN

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (ACPW, AMAT, ACI, BCS, CELL, COG, DUK, HCA, MDT, OMG, PT)

Administrator — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 12:11:46 +0000

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

Active Power Inc. (NASDAQ: ACPW) Started as Buy at Merriman.
Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT) Cut to Underperform as Bear of the Day at Zacks.
Arch Coal Inc. (NYSE: ACI) Raised to Outperform at BMO.
Barclays PLC (NYSE: BCS) Raised to Buy at UBS.
Brightpoint Inc. (NASDAQ: CELL) Raised to Buy at Citigroup.
Cabot Oil & Gas (NYSE: COG) named Bull of the Day at Zacks.
Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE: DUK) Raised to Sector Perform at RBC.
HCA Inc. (NYSE: HCA) Started as Buy at Auriga.
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) Raised to Hold at Argus.
OM Group, Inc. (NYSE: OMG) named Value stock of the day at Zacks.
Portugal Telecom SGPS SA (NYSE: PT) Started as Neutral at Credit Suisse.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: ACI, ACPW, AMAT, BCS, CELL, COG, DUK, HCA, MDT, OMG, PT

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (NLY, BHP, CELL, FTE, FIO, IVR, MDT, OKE, TLB, THOR, WOOF, WBMD)

Administrator — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 12:35:35 +0000

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

Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE: NLY) Started as Market Perform at Wells Fargo.
BHP Billiton Limited (NYSE: BHP) Reiterated Strong Buy as Value at Zacks.
Brightpoint Inc. (NASDAQ: CELL) Raised to Outperform as Bull of the Day at Zacks.
France Telecom (NYSE: FTE) Raised to Neutral at UBS.
Fusion-io Inc. (NYSE: FIO) Started as Neutral at Goldman Sachs; Started as Equal-Weight at Morgan Stanley; Started as Neutral at JPMorgan; Started as Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Invesco Mortgage Capital Inc. (NYSE: IVR) Started as Outperform at Wells Fargo.
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) Cut to Underperform as Bear of the Day at Zacks.
ONEOK Inc. (NYSE: OKE) Cut to Neutral at BofA/ML.
The Talbots Inc. (NYSE: TLB) Raised to Neutral at Janney Capital.
Thoratec Corporation (NASDAQ: THOR) Started as Outperform with $43 target at Credit Suisse.
VCA Antech Inc. (NASDAQ: WOOF) Raised to Buy at BofA/ML.
WebMD Health Corp. (NASDAQ: WBMD) Cut to Neutral at Citigroup; maintained Buy but cut target to $44 at Canaccord Genuity.

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

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: BHP, CELL, FIO, FTE, IVR, MDT, NLY, OKE, THOR, TLB, WBMD, WOOF

The Eleven Most Implanted Medical Devices In America

247wallst — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 00:02:40 +0000

Implanted medical devices are one of the most profitable businesses of the U.S. healthcare industry. While many devices help extend and improve quality of life, a great many others may not be necessary. In some cases devices such as stents, screws, and artificial joints do not work well or are not any better than a cheaper procedure; in others, the risks may not be worth the benefits. All of the devices place a large cost-burden on U.S. medical spending, whether entirely effective or not.

Read: The Eleven Most Implanted Medical Devices In America

On a yearly basis, medical device companies across the world bring in over $200 billion in revenue. In the U.S. alone, these companies take in over $85 billion a year. A large portion of that is for devices that are implanted in the human body.

On the whole, there is little concentrated information on the industry. Data on which company makes what device; sales figures of each individual implants per medical device companies; or the number of procedures done for each implant each year are not always readily available. More troubling, there is little information gathered in any one place about the potential dangers and flaws of these devices, or the complications that occur due to their implantation procedure.

24/7 Wall St. has examined National Health Survey data, multiple professional physician services, peer-reviewed journals, and SEC filings to complete a list of the most frequently implanted medical devices today. While many of these are life saving, controversy swirls around several others. In some cases, we found exact total costs from self-reporting by physician sub-specialties. In others, we estimated costs based on medicare outlays, industry reports, and academic publications.

Many of the devices implanted are medically necessary and do their jobs extending lives and improving quality of life, the 24/7 Wall St. research shows. Some products, such as artificial knees may even be underutilized. Others, like implantable cardio-defibrillators, may be over-utilized. What is certain in most of the cases we reviewed is that the effectiveness of these devices is not as well researched or understood as their widespread use may imply.

These are 24/7 Wall St.’s Eleven Most Implanted Medical Devices In America.

Filed under: Healthcare, Medical Tagged: ABT, AGN, BSX, JNJ, MDT, NVS, TEVA, ZMH