Posts for Ticker ‘MS’

Big Goldman Sachs (GS) Shareholders Fight Bonuses

A number of large Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) shareholders would like to see the firm’s profits in their pockets and not in the bank accounts of the Goldman partners.

The Wall Street Journal reports that many institutions that hold Goldman shares are upset that the firm’s EPS will  be down this year even though the investment bank will post record sales. A great deal of this drop is because Goldman issued 100 million shares to improve its balance sheet. Cutting compensation would rebuild EPS figures which should help drive up the value of the stock. Read More »

Posted on: November 20, 2009 – 4:55 am in Banking, Compensation, ,

Media Digest 11/20/2009 Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg

Reuters:   The Senate is near its first vote on healthcare.

Reuters:   Dell (NASDAQ:DELL) is betting on corporate spending for its recovery.

Reuters:   Time Warner’s (NYSE:TWX) AOL showed that the worst is not over for media job cuts.

Reuters:   China cyber-spying against the US will probably grow. Read More »

Posted on: November 20, 2009 – 3:56 am in Press Digest, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mitsubishi UFJ (MTU): Banks Have Access Capital Markets

Large U.S. banks have raised money to improve their capital position this year, in some cases because the government required them to do so. Bank analysts have worried that a wave of write-downs on commercial real estate and credit card debt might require some big financial firms to go back to the funding well. That raises the question of whether institutional investors still have any appetite for putting money into global banks.

Those concerns about bank funding may have been allayed a bit. Mitsubishi UFJ (NYSE:MTU), the largest bank in Japan and a major investor in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS), is raising $11 billion. The firm has already filed papers with Japan’s Ministry of Finance to sell common shares.

Read more…

Posted on: November 18, 2009 – 1:33 pm in Banking, ,

$1 Salary For Pandit: Citigroup Gets What It Paid For

The most charitable thing that can be said about Vikram Pandit, the CEO of Citigroup (NYSE:C) since December 11. 2007, is that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The bank’s stock is down 90% since his first day as chief executive. The shares of other large international banks were battered by the credit crisis, but JP Morgan (NYSE:JPM) and Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) have gained most of their value back during the two-year period. Bank of America (NYSE:BAC), the most hapless of all the large financial firms, has even performed better than Citi in the market. Read More »

Posted on: November 18, 2009 – 5:06 am in Banking, Compensation, , , , , , , ,

Media Digest 11/12/2009 Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg

newspaperReuters:   China is the key stop on Obama’s tour of Asia.

Reuters:   South Korea’s businesses may start to feel more pressure from China competitors..

Reuters:   Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ) bought 3Com (NYSE:COM) for $3.1 billion.

Reuters:   Lou Dobbs left CNN (NYSE:TWX) Read More »

Posted on: November 12, 2009 – 4:00 am in Press Digest, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

9 Of 10 Bank Holding Companies Make The Cut

Yesterday, the Federal Reserve reported that 9 out of 10 bank holding companies that were required to raise additional capital to bolster their balance sheets have successfully done so.  The Supervisory Capital Assessment Program (SCAP) had determined in May that these needed to raise $74.6 billion by November 9th.  This was achieved through new issuance of equity in the amount of $39 billion, conversion of existing preferred equity to common equity amounting to $23 billion, and the sale businesses and assets amounting to 9$ billion.  The ten bank holding companies that were required to raise additional capital were: Banks of America (NYSE: BAC), Citigroup (NYSE: C), Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ: FITB), GMAC LLC, KeyCorp (NYSE: KEY), Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS), PNC Financial Services (NYSE: PNC), Regions Financial (NYSE: RF), SunTrust (NYSE: STI), and Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC).

Of the ten the one laggard was GMAC, which failed to raise the necessary funds.  The May SCAP report indicated that GMAC needed to buffer its balance sheet with an additional $11.5 billion in Tier 1 capital.  The Federal Reserve expects the troubled mortgage and auto loan originator to fill in its funding gap by accessing the TARP Automotive Industry Financing Program.

Garrett W. McIntyre

Posted on: November 10, 2009 – 9:08 am in Banking, Financial Stocks, , , , , , , , , , ,

Media Digest 11/9/2009 Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg

newspaperReuters:   Hurricane Ida is heading toward Gulf oil fields.

Reuters:   Kraft (NYSE:KFT) will make its bid for Cadbury.

Reuters:   GE (NYSE:GE) and Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) have agreed to an NBCU valuation.

Reuters:   The IMF is considering an insurance levy on banks. Read More »

Posted on: November 9, 2009 – 4:03 am in Press Digest, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Is Citi’s Primerica IPO For You (C, MS)

It has been some time in the making and won’t be the last IPO or divestiture out of Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C).  The company is proceeding to divest its Primerica Inc. via an initial public offering.
Read More »

Posted on: November 6, 2009 – 12:36 pm in Banking, Financial Stocks, IPOs, ,

52-Week High Club

Autodesk Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) rallied over 5% to a yearly high of $27.26 after the company’s shares were upgraded to “buy” by Kaufman Brothers LP, who set their 12 month price target at $30.

Genex Corporation (NASDAQ: GNTX) jumped over 20% today after the vehicle mirror supplier announced a 3Q profit of $0.17, beating analyst estimates.

CNH Global NV (NYSE: CNH) jumped over 12% to a yearly high of $22.75 after the tractor maker reported a loss of $0.09 per share, beating analyst estimates. 

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) rallied over 5% to a yearly high of $35.00 after the company reported a 3Q profit of $0.38 per share and declared a dividend of $.05.

Garrett W. McIntyre

Posted on: October 21, 2009 – 4:09 pm in Analyst Calls, Autos, Banking, Brokerage Firms, Earnings, Financial Stocks, Technology Companies, , , ,

The 100 Hardest Working Brands In The World

hersheyThere are a number of ways to rank brand values. One of the most important is the level at which a brand contributes to the market value of a public company.

24/7 Wall St. asked Corebrand, the brand research and consulting firm, to look at the top 100 brands based their contribution to market capitalizaton. Using this method, the hardest working brand was Hershey (NYSE:HSY), followed  by Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) and Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG)

Corebrand described the process briefly to 24/7 Wall. St.

24/7 Wall St.: Corebard often refers to the brands on this list as the”hardest working brands”. How did you come to that description?

Corebrand: There are a lot of people measuring and examining the “strongest brands” or the “most valuable brands”.  Our opinion is that examining one without the other is somewhat meaningless.  How “strong” a brand is nice to know but not very relevant unless you understand how that strength benefits business.  Similarly, “value” is little more than a measure of corporate size unless you understand the drivers of that value and how to influence it. By examining the strength of the brand and it’s contribution to total market value, we can help companies and their leadership manage that strength and value over time.

24/7 Wall St.: Is there any advantage or disadvantage to having a brand value be a very large percentage of market cap in the present and as an indication of a company’s future performance?

Corebrand: The brand will need to be in balance with the rest of the company’s assets.  A company should strive to have it’s brand strong enough to fend off competitors or changing market conditions but not so strong that it becomes overly dependent on the brand as a single driver of value.  If a company can achieve and maintain its appropriate maximum strength without becoming over-dependent, it will see greater returns in bull markets and retain greater value in bear markets.

The list: Read More »

Posted on: October 20, 2009 – 5:06 pm in Research, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Today’s Best Market Rumors (10/12/2009) (LAZ)(F)(AAPL)

95129c

Updated throughout the day.

Updated  1.39 PM EST: Charles G. Ward, III, a senior executive at Lazard (NYSE:LAZ) will be named interim CEO at the company pending the recovery of Bruce Wasserstein. (various)

Updated 12.32 PM EST: Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone sales in China are weak, but, as Barron’s points out, the iPhone has not gone on sale there yet.

Updated 12.30 PM EST: Ford (NYSE:F) up sharply on rumors that it will beat earnings (various)

Vivendi may be able to block the Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) deal to take control of NBCU from GE (NYSE:GE)  (NYSE:GE).

One of Morgan Stanley’s (NYSE:MS) co-presidents may leave after being passed over for the CEO job  (The Deal)

Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) may pay out $22 billion in bonuses for its last fiscal year  (The Telegraph)

Douglas A. McIntyre

Posted on: October 12, 2009 – 8:28 am in Rumors, , , , , , ,

The New Lehman Trade: Selling the Bankruptcy Claims (BAC, MS, CS)

Broken Money Merger ImageThere have been many ways which companies exit bankruptcy court.  Historically, many companies have used tax loss carryforward strategies as well.  But selling a claim against assets for recovery in bankruptcy is a strategy that is less well known by the public.  If the Bloomberg reports are correct, then Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC) may be selling claims against the Lehman bankruptcy.  Based on what we saw last month, this would be at least the third firm to be selling Lehman claims.

Read More »

Posted on: October 8, 2009 – 4:16 pm in Banking, Brokerage Firms, Financial Stocks, Law, , ,

Top 10 Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades (ADBE, BRCM, EBAY, GS, LLL, MS, MWW, MOS, RAX, WFC)

These are this Thursday morning’s top 10 Wall Street research calls we have seen in the land of upgrades, downgrades, and initiations:

Adobe Systems (NASDAQ: ADBE) Raised to Outperform at RW Baird.
Broadcom (NASDAQ: BRCM) Cut to Neutral at RW Baird.
eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY) Raised to Buy at Kaufman Bros.
Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) Started as Buy at Deutsche Bank.
L-3 Communications (NYSE: LLL) Cut to Conviction Sell List from Neutral at Goldman Sachs.
Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) Started as Buy at Deutsche Bank.
Monster Worldwide (NYSE: MWW) Raised to Overweight at JPMorgan.
Mosaic (NYSE: MOS) Started as Outperform at RBC.
Rackspace (NYSE: RAX) Raised to Buy at Goldman Sachs.
Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) Started as Sell at UBS.

This top ten includes only some of the top financial sector analyst calls we saw this morning, where many “SELL” ratings were handed out.  You can join our open email distribution list to get updates each morning on analyst upgrades and downgrades, top day trader alerts, IPO’s and secondary offerings, Warren Buffett and other guru activity, M&A and more.

Jon C. Ogg
October 8, 2009

Posted on: October 8, 2009 – 7:53 am in Analyst Calls, Technology Companies, , , , , , , , , ,

Very Mixed Analyst Calls in Financial Stocks (GS, MS, BBT, CMA, FITB, PNC, PRSP, STI, WFC)

We are seeing a very mixed picture among the analyst calls this morning over banks and financial stocks.  We are seeing some very positive “BUY” calls and we are also seeing some new “SELL” calls.

Goldman Sachs (GS) Started as Buy at Deutsche Bank.
Morgan Stanley (MS) Started as Buy at Deutsche Bank.
BB&T (BBT) Started as Sell at UBS.
Comerica (CMA) Started as Sell at UBS
Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB) Started as Sell at UBS.
PNC Financial (PNC) Started as Sell at UBS.
Prosperity Bancshares (PRSP) Cut to Underweight at Morgan Stanley.
SunTrust (STI) Started as Sell at UBS.
Wells Fargo (WFC) Started as Sell at UBS.

You can join our open email distribution list to get updates each morning on analyst upgrades and downgrades, top day trader alerts, IPO’s and secondary offerings, Warren Buffett and other guru activity, M&A and more.

JON C. OGG

October 8, 2009

Posted on: October 8, 2009 – 7:30 am in Analyst Calls, Banking, Brokerage Firms, Financial Stocks, , , , , , , , ,

Media Digest 10/8/2009 Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg

newspaperReuters:   GM says most of its cost cutting is done and its sales chief left.

Reuters:   Spot gold hit a record above $1,050.

Reuters:   The Senate healthcare bill weighs in at $829 billion.

Reuters:   Dell (NASDAQ:DELL) plans its first smartphone to be launched with AT&T (NYSE:T) using the Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android OS Read More »

Posted on: October 8, 2009 – 3:59 am in Press Digest, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Today’s Best Market Rumors (10/7/2009) (NOK)(AAPL)(JPM)(GE)(WYNN)

newspaperUpdated throughout the day.

Updated 2:44 Dell Inc. (NYSE: DELL) will launch a branded Android smartphone thru AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) and possibly other carriers next year.  Source today is from WSJ, but ask this… How many phone and consumer electronics announcements have been rumored on Dell?

Updated 1.36 PM EST:  Pimco left the bondholders steering committee at CIT (NYSE:CIT) last month  (CNBC)

Updated 12.45 PM:  Polycom (NSADAQ:PLCM) could be taken over by Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ) or Dell (NASDAQ:DELL). Interdigital (NASDAQ: IDCC) could be bought by Nokia (NYSE:NOK) and ValueClick (NASDAQ:VCLK) could be taken over by any one of a number of companies.  (Barron’s)

Updated 12.41 PM:   GM head of American sales leaves amid talk that car company CFO may be next  (CNNMoney)

Update 10.50 AM EST:  Congress may pass a bill which will require that public companies split the roles of chairman and CEO.  (MarketWatch)

Thomson Reuters (NYSE:TRI) may be involved in the bidding for McGraw-Hill’s (NYSE:MHP) BusinessWeek working jointly with Zelnick Media. Strauss Zelnick is on the boards of Blockbuster (NYSE:BBI) and Take-Two Interactive (NASDAQ:TTWO)  (PaidContent).

Citigroup (NYSE:C) may sell it Philbro unit which is paying its chief $100 million  this year.  (CNBC)

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) has narrowed its list of CEOs to two people  (WSJ).

Foxconn has a deal to make 300,000 to 400,000 Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) tablet PCs to ship in Q1  (DigiTimes)

Collins Stewart believes that Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) and Yahoo! (NASDAQ:YHOO) are on the lookout for acquisitions. (The Deal).

Share sales by Steve Wynn, head of Wynn (NASDAQ:WYNN), and his COO may be” a canary in the coal mine to other investors to take some profits on the gains in this sector since the March lows.” That would include MGM (NYSE:MGM) and Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS)  (TheStreet.com)

Private equity firms Bain Capital and THL Partners are asking banks that supported their buy-out of Clear Channel Communications to help restructure the firm’s debt. Those banks include Citigroup (NYSE:C), Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS), Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB), and Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS).  (NYPost)

News Corp (NYSE:NWS) CEO Rupert Murdoch is in Japan and South Korea and may be discussing partnerships to build a rival product to the Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) Kindle.  (Reuters)

Vivendi will discuss selling its 20% stake in GE’s (NYSE:GE) NBCU at its October 19 board meeting to allow a transaction with Comcast (NADSAQ:CMCSA) which would involve the cable company getting control of media firm.  (BusinessWeek)

JPMorgan (NYSE:JPM) executive  Heidi Miller could be in the running for the CEO job at Bank of America. (The Big Money)

Douglas A. McIntyre

Posted on: October 7, 2009 – 9:22 am in Rumors, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Short Sellers Flee Tech, Hit Weak Balance Sheets (INTC)(DELL)

bearShort sellers posted a mixed record on big banks. Short interest in Citigroup (C) plunged by 73% to 177.5 million shares. The short interest in Bank of America (BAC) was down 18% to 82.2 million. And, shares short in Morgan Stanley (MS) dropped 10% to 39 million.

Shares short in Fannie Mae (FNM) were up a fraction to 188.7 million. The short interest in Well Fargo (WFC) rose 5% to 90.5 million.

Companies with weak earnings prospects and poor balance sheet were hit particularly hard for the period that ended September 15. Shares sold short in Sprint (S) were up 18% to 88.6 million. Shares sold short in Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) rose 37% to 39.4 million. Short interest in Vonage (VG) was up 135% to 10.2 million. Shares short in Blockbuster (BBI) were up 28% to 25.6 million. Read More »

Posted on: September 25, 2009 – 4:15 am in Short Interest, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Media Digest 9/25/2009 Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg

newspaperReuters:   The G20 is taking center stage in the new economic world order.

Reuters:   Bank losses from large syndicated loans will hit $53 billion this year.

Reuters:   One Fed governor said the agency may have to hike rates soon.

Reuters:   Small businesses say that the US economy is improving. Read More »

Posted on: September 25, 2009 – 3:55 am in Press Digest, , , , ,

52-Week High Club

Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS)  hits a yearly high of $22.54.  Fellow retailers Polo Ralph Lauren (NYSE: RL),  American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE: AEO) and J. Crew Group (NYSE: JCG) also hit yearly highs.

Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) hits a yearly high of $184.30 on analyst enthusiasm for underwriting and mergers and acquisitions businesses.  Credit Suisse (NYSE: CS) and Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) also hit yearly highs.

Google (NYSE: GOOG) hits a yearly high of $501.13 after a wave of price target increases on optimistic outlook for web advertising, including today’s increase by the brokerage Canaccord Adams.

Palm Inc. (Nasdaq: PALM) rallies to a yearly high of $17.12 on rumors that Nokia (NYSE: NOK) may be looking to bid on the handset maker. 

24/7 Wall St.

Posted on: September 22, 2009 – 4:32 pm in Financial Stocks, Mergers and Buy Outs, Retail, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

AIG (AIG), Never Give A Sucker An Even Break

uncle sam“We think that the American taxpayer will be fully repaid” under the company’s plan”—Ed Liddy, AIG CEO, May 13, 2009

“At the end of the day, we believe we will be able to pay back the government and we hope we will be able to do something for our shareholders as well.”– CEO Robert Benmosche, August 20, 2009

“Moreover, Federal Reserve and Treasury staff routinely monitor AIG’s operations and receive reports on AIG’s condition and restructuring. While these efforts are being made, the government remains exposed to risks, including credit risk and investment risk, which could result in the Federal Reserve and Treasury not being repaid in full.”– Government Accountability Office, September 21, 2009 Read More »

Posted on: September 22, 2009 – 5:00 am in Banking, , , , , ,