24/7 Wall St. » PIR

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (AAPL, SCHW, ETN, ETFC, FFIV, HBAN, LNKD, MJN, PIR, GOLD, SBAC, AMTD, TYC, DIS, BAC, C, JPM)

Administrator — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 12:09:10 +0000

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

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) Cut to Neutral at BTIG.

The Charles Schwab Corporation (NYSE: SCHW) Started as Neutral at Goldman Sachs.

Eaton Corporation (NYSE: ETN) named the value stock of the day at Zacks.

E*TRADE Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: ETFC) Started as Neutral at Goldman Sachs.

F5 Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV) Cut to Hold at Stifel Nicolaus.

Huntington Bancshares Incorporated (NASDAQ: HBAN) Reiterated Neutral at Zacks.

LinkedIn Corporation (NYSE: LNKD) Started as Hold at Needham.

Mead Johnson Nutrition Company (NYSE: MJN) Reiterated Outperform with $82 target at Credit Suisse.

Pier 1 Imports Inc. (NYSE: PIR) Maintained Hold but raised estimates at Argus.

Randgold Resources Limited (NASDAQ: GOLD) Raised to Buy at Stifel Nicolaus.

SBA Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: SBAC) Raised to Buy at Citigroup.

TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: AMTD) Started as Neutral at Goldman Sachs.

Tyco International Ltd. (NYSE: TYC) Raised to Buy at Argus.

Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) Cut to Neutral at Citigroup.

Credit Suisse has previewed top banks and noted on Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC), Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C), and J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM): “We look BAC, C and JPM to benefit from improved trading in 1Q.” The firm talked up loan growth and demand and sees attractive valuations with improved profitability and greater capital deployment.

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: AAPL, AMTD, BAC, C, DIS, ETFC, ETN, FFIV, gold, HBAN, JPM, LNKD, MJN, PIR, SBAC, SCHW, TYC

Pier 1 Beats Estimates (PIR)

Paul Ausick — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 11:51:05 +0000

A sales jump of 11.8% boosted fourth-quarter revenue at Pier 1 Imports Inc. (NYSE: PIR) to $476.8 million, beating the consensus estimate of $472.1 million. Quarterly EPS at the home furnishings store came in at $0.48, right on the consensus estimate. Including a one-time tax benefit of $60 million, EPS came in at $1.04.

Same-store sales rose 10.3% in the quarter, boosting the annual same-store sales rate to 9.8%. Margins rose to 59.4% in the fourth quarter, up from 58.4% in the same period a year ago. The company had this to say about its margin improvement:

The 110 basis point improvement in merchandise margins continues to be positively impacted by strong input margins, the right balance between regular and promotional pricing, and well-managed inventory levels.

Gross profit margins rose from 42.8% a year ago to 45.5%.

Guidance did not show any big surprise. The company forecasts EPS at $1.06-$1.12, compared with a consensus estimate of $1.12. Same-store sales growth is expected in the mid-single digit range.

Shares are up 4% in the pre-market, at $18.99 in a 52-week range of $8.60-$19.09.

Filed under: Earnings, Retail Tagged: PIR

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (IBM, MCD, LUV, SNDK, BX, TISI, MIND, MON, AYI, ANGO, PSMT, STZ, PIR, LEDS, CBLI, THTI, CLNT)

Paul Ausick — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 20:08:06 +0000

Markets opened lower this morning and didn’t recover. The ISM services index came in lower than expected (our coverage here) and the EIA report on crude oil inventories pushed crude prices down (our coverage here). The markets haven’t recovered from yesterday’s release of the minutes of the FOMC meeting, which most observers saw as fairly hawkish (our coverage here). The US dollar index rose today, now up 0.37% at 79.776. Commodities were mixed on the stronger dollar, with corn and wheat down the most. WTI crude oil closed down -2.4% at $101.47/barrel, and Brent crude trades down -1.87% at $122.52/barrel. Gold settled down -3.5% today, at $1,614.10/ounce, its lowest price in three months.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down nearly 125 points to 13,074.83(-0.95%), the NASDAQ fell more than 45 points (-1.46%) to 3,068.09, and the S&P 500 fell -1.02% or more than 14 points to 1,398.96.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including IBM Corp. (NYSE: IBM) cut to ‘neutral’ at BofA/ML; McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD) removed from the ‘Conviction Buy List’ but maintained as ‘buy’ at Goldman Sachs; Southwest Airlines Corp. (NYSE: LUV) raised to ‘overweight’ at Barclays; Sandisk Corp. (NASDAQ: SNDK) cut to ‘outperform’ at RBC; and Blackstone Group LP (NYSE: BX) added to ‘Top Pick’ list at Citigroup.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: Team Inc. (NYSE: TISI) is down -12.3% at $28.83; Mitcham Industries Inc. (NASDAQ: MIND) is down -3.9% at $23.37; Monsanto Co. (NYSE: MON) is down -1.3% at $80.70 (more coverage here); and Acuity Brands Inc. (NYSE: AYI) is down -9.7% at $57.51. After markets close today we get earnings from AngioDynamics Inc. (NASDAQ: ANGO), Harry Winston Diamond Corp. (NYSE: HWD), and PriceSmart Inc. (NASDAQ: PSMT). Before markets open tomorrow we’ll get earnings from Constellation Brands Inc. (NYSE: STZ), Pier One Imports Inc. (NYSE: PIR), and SemiLEDS Corp. (NASDAQ: LEDS).

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

Cleveland BioLabs Inc. (NASDAQ: CBLI) is down more than -30% at $1.67 after posting a new 52-week low of $1.48. The biotech company’s funding from the federal government has been cut off.

Sandisk Corp. is down about -11% at $44.72. The flash memory maker revealed a weak outlook for the quarter. More coverage here.

THT Heat Transfer Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: THTI) is up nearly 80% at $2.30. The Chinese maker of heat exchangers reported decent earnings, but forecast revenues for the current quarter at half last quarter’s total. See our coverage yesterday of SmartHeat Inc. (NASDAQ: HEAT), another Chinese maker of heat exchangers. Just substitute the names.

CleanTech Solutions International Inc. (NASDAQ: CLNT) is up more than 177% at $6.10. The Chinese maker of metal components for wind turbines reported solid revenues last week, but profits were down. Another hard-to-figure move.

Stay tuned for Thursday. St. Louis Fed President James Bullard is giving a speech. We have also noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

7:30 a.m. – Challenger Gray & Christmas layoff report
8:30 a.m. – New claims for unemployment benefits
10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly natural gas storage report
3:00 p.m. – Treasury STRIPS
4:30 p.m. – Federal Reserve balance sheet and money supply

Paul Ausick

Filed under: Market Close Tagged: ANGO, AYI, BX, CBLI, CLNT, IBM, LEDS, LUV, MCD, MIND, MON, PIR, PSMT, SNDK, STZ, THTI, TISI

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (ALL, GWRE, KMT, LVS, LEAP, LO, PCS, MWW, P, PIR, TM, ZNGA)

Administrator — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 13:11:16 +0000

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

Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) Raised to Buy and $36 target at Argus.

Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE: GWRE) Started as Buy at Deutsche Bank; Started as Neutral at Citigroup; Started as Hold at Stifel Nicolaus.

Kennametal Inc. (NYSE: KMT) named as Value stock of the day at Zacks.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) Reiterated Outperform and raised target to $64 at Credit Suisse.

Leap Wireless International, Inc. (NASDAQ: LEAP) Cut to Market Perform at Bernstein.

Lorillard, Inc. (NYSE: LO) named as Bull of the Day at Zacks.

MetroPCS Communications, Inc. (NYSE: PCS) Cut to Market Perform at Bernstein.

Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: MWW) Started as Outperform at BMO.

Pandora Media, Inc. (NYSE: P) Raised to Buy at Stifel Nicolaus.

Pier 1 Imports (NYSE: PIR) raised estimates and target to $20 by Oppenheimer.

Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE: TM) Raised to Outperform at Credit Suisse.

Zynga Inc. (NASDAQ: ZNGA) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: 24/7 Wall St. Wire, Analyst Calls Tagged: ALL, GWRE, KMT, LEAP, LO, LVS, MWW, P, PCS, PIR, TM, ZNGA

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (AKS, ALU, AWK, APA, AF, AZK, DRI, HBAN, PHG, LTD, PIR, Rl, RL, UL, URBN, VIP, WBMD, WCC)

Administrator — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:07:18 +0000

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

AK Steel Holding Corp. (NYSE: AKS) Raised to Outperform with $12 target at Credit Suisse.
Alcatel-Lucent, S.A. (NYSE: ALU) Raised to Buy at Deutsche Bank.
American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE: AWK) Raised to Buy at Ladenburg Thalmann.
Apache Corporation (NYSE: APA) Started as Buy at Stifel Nicolaus.
Astoria Financial Corporation (NYSE: AF) Cut to UNderweight at JPMorgan.
Aurizon Mines Ltd. (NYSE: AZK) named as Value Stock of the Day at Zacks.
Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE: DRI) Maintained Underperform as Bear of the Day at Zacks.
Huntington Bancshares Inc. (NASDAQ: HBAN) Cut to Hold at Stifel Nicolaus.
Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV (NYSE: PHG) Cut to Sell at Citigroup.
Lazard Ltd. (NYSE: LTD) Cut to Neutral at Citigroup.
Pier 1 Imports Inc. (NYSE: PIR) Started as Hold at Argus.
Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE: RL) Cut to Market Perform at Wells Fargo.
Unilever PLC (NYSE: UL) Cut to Underperform at BofA/ML.
Urban Outfitters Inc. (NASDAQ: URBN) Cut to Sell at Citigroup.
VimpelCom Ltd. (NYSE: VIP) Raised to Neutral at Goldman Sachs.
WebMD Health Corporation (NASDAQ: WBMD) Cut to Market Perform at Wells Fargo.
WESCO International (NYSE: WCC) Raised to Outperform as Bull of the Day at Zacks.

If you enjoyed the Top Analyst Calls, 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, IPOs, M&A, special situation developments, observations on Warren Buffett and key market gurus, as well as special exclusive feature stories.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: AF, AKS, ALU, APA, AWK, AZK, DRI, HBAN, LTD, PHG, PIR, RL, UL, URBN, VIP, WBMD, WCC

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (CSCO, FSLR, SI, BRCM, AFFY, DFS, FDX, PIR, SCHL, WGO, SONO, NVLS, GEVO, ZOLL, BPAX, PEIX)

Paul Ausick — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 21:05:03 +0000

US markets opened fast this morning, up nearly 1% in the first hour of trading before giving most of the gain back by mid-morning and then wandering around a gain of less than 0.5% for the rest of the day. Better manufacturing data from Europe, and solid manufacturing gains in the US helped the market in the early going. The US dollar was down against the euro, the yen, and the British pound. Crude oil prices fell today, with WTI down more than -1.5% at $93.44/barrel and Brent down about -0.9% at $103.33. Gold continued its slide as well today, down more than -1% at $1,568.80/ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up nearly 47 points to 11,869.95 (0.39%), the NASDAQ rose nearly 2 points (0.07%) to 2,541.01, and the S&P 500 rose 0.33% or about 4 points to 1,215.83.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) started as ‘buy’ at Nomura. Other ratings actions today include First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) cut from ‘buy’ to ‘neutral’ at R.W. Baird; Siemens AG (NYSE: SI) cut from ‘buy’ to ‘neutral’ at Goldman Sachs; Broadcom Corp. (NASDAQ: BRCM) raised to ‘outperform’ at Wells Fargo; and Affymetrix Inc. (NASDAQ: AFFY) raised from ‘neutral’ to ‘buy’ at Goldman Sachs.

Here are today’s post-earnings news reactions with prices during the last half-hour of trading: Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) is down -3.2% at $23.06; FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) is up almost 8% at $83.45; Pier 1 Imports, Inc. (NYSE: PIR) is up 0.23% at $13.17; Scholastic Corp. (NASDAQ: SCHL) is up more than 4% at $26.73; and Winnebago Industries, Inc. (NYSE: WGO) is down -0.15% at $6.80.

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

SonoSite Inc. (NASDAQ: SONO) is up more than 27% at $53.68, a new 52-week high. The ultrasound device maker has been acquired by Japan’s Fujifilm Holdings Inc. for $54/share, or about $995 million. Our coverage is here.

Novellus Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: NVLS) is up more than 17% at $40.68, after posting a new 52-week high of $42.50 earlier today. The semiconductor equipment maker is being acquired by Lam Research Corp. (NASDAQ: LRCX) for $3.3 billion in an all-stock deal. More coverage here.

Gevo Inc. (NASDAQ: GEVO) is up more than 13.5% at $6.41. The biofuel and chemical company signed an agreement with The Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) to develop a new bio-derived plastic bottle.

Zoll Medical Corp. (NASDAQ: ZOLL) is up more than 29% at $60.47, after posting a new 52-week high earlier today of $63.86. The medical device maker’s wearable defibrillator has been re-affirmed for Medicare coverage.

BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: BPAX) is down more than -77% at $0.48, after posting a new 52-week low of $0.46 earlier today. The biopharmaceutical company reported that its experimental drug to enhance libido in post-menopausal women failed a late-stage trial.

Pacific Ethanol Inc. (NASDAQ: PEIX) is down nearly -18% at $0.87. The ethanol maker announced the completion of a sale of about 12.6 million shares and warrants to 11 private investors for just over $8 million in cash.

Stay tuned for Friday. Chicago Federal Reserve Bank President Charles Evans and Dallas Federal Reserve Bank President Richard Fisher are speaking tomorrow. Here is another other noteworthy event on the schedule (all times Eastern):

8:30 a.m. – Consumer price index for November released

Paul Ausick

Filed under: HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: AFFY, BPAX, BRCM, CSCO, DFS, FDX, FSLR, GEVO, NVLS, PEIX, PIR, SCHL, SI, SONO, WGO, ZOLL

November Same-Store Sales Mixed, Winners and Losers (LTD, TLB, COST, TGT, M, DDS, JWN, KSS, GPS, ROST, JCP, TJX, LULU, SSI, PIR)

Paul Ausick — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:17:59 +0000

Retailers are reporting November sales this morning and the results are decidely mixed. The best report we’ve seen so far this morning is from Limited Brands, Inc. (NYSE: LTD) and the worst is from The Talbot’s Inc. (NYSE: TLB). In between are reports from Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ: COST), Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT), Macy’s Inc. (NYSE: M), Dillard’s Inc. (NYSE: DDS), Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN), Kohl’s Corp. (NYSE: KSS), Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS), Ross Stores Inc. (NASDAQ: ROST), J.C. Penney Co. (NYSE: JCP), TJX Companies (NYSE: TJX), Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ: LULU), Stage Stores Inc. (NYSE: SSI), and Pier One Imports Inc. (NYSE: PIR)

Limited Brands’ same-store sales rose 7%, compared with a consensus estimate of 4.4%. Net sales fell by -2.3%, however, from $893 million a year ago to $872.6 million. The company also announced a $2/share special dividend to be paid on December 23rd to shareholders of record on December 12th.

The Talbot’s Inc. (NYSE: TLB) reported third-quarter earnings this morning and posted an adjusted EPS loss of -$0.22, compared with a consensus estimate of an EPS loss of -$0.16. Same-store sales fell by -4% in November. Talbot’s has closed 35 store locations so far this year and plans to close a total of 110 locations by the end of its 2013 fiscal year.

Costco’s same-store sales rose 7%, excluding gasoline and currency effects. Including gasoline, sales were up 9%. Analysts were expecting a rise of 6.5%.

Target posted a same-store sales gain of 1.8% in November, but analysts were looking for a gain of 2.8%. The company’s CEO said that he expects December to offer a “competitive and promotional environment as consumers continue to focus on value.”

Macy’s same-store sales rose 4.8% last month, and total sales were up 5.3%. The consensus estimate for same-store sales was an increase of 4.1%.

Dillard’s posted a same-store sales jump of 3%, in-line with the average estimate.

Nordstrom reported November same-store sales rose 5.6%, compared with an average analyst estimate of 5%. Total sales rose nearly 12% in November.

Kohl’s reported that November same-store sales fell -6.2%, while analysts were expecting a 2% increase. The CEO called the results “disappointing,” and said that the company expects to benefit from customers seeking value during the remainder of the holiday shopping season.

Gap same-store sales fell by -5%, more than the analysts’ expectation of a -4.3% decline. The company’s CEO expects December to “to remain fiercely competitive and highly promotional.”

Ross posted a same-store sales increase of 5% in November, better than the 3.7% that analysts were expecting. The company said it expects a 3%-4% increase in December as well.

Penney’s same-store sales fell -2% in November, compared with a -1.6% decline expected by the analysts. Total sales also fell by nearly -6% in the month.

TJX reported same-store sales growth of 4%, in-line with the average estimate. The company’s CEO said that the store would have performed better but for the warmer weather which put off winter clothes buying.

Lululemon reported third-quarter earnings today, noting that same-store sales jumped 16% in the quarter. Shares are down more than -11% in the first half-hour of trading this morning. Here’s our coverage of the company’s earnings report.

Stage Stores reported same-store sales rose 2.3%, compared with an estimate for a flat month. Total sales rose 4.3%, and the company’s CEO said that the final week of the month was “very strong.”

Pier One released third quarter sales figures today, and same-store sales for the quarter ending November 27th rose 7%. The company said quarterly EPS would be $0.20-$0.21, compared with the consensus EPS estimate of $0.18. Same-store sales for the holiday weekend were up 10% over last year.

Paul Ausick

Filed under: Apparel, Consumer Goods, Economy, Retail Tagged: COST, DDS, GPS, JCP, JWN, KSS, LTD, LULU, M, PIR, ROST, SSI, TGT, TJX, TLB

24/7 Wall St. Top Analyst Calls of the Week (ALU, AMZN, AAPL, CSCO, CSC, CXW, DF, EPD, GNW, GMCR, GRPN, HD, MPEL, PIR, SRDX, TEVA, VRTX, YRCW, ALIM)

Administrator — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 14:19:38 +0000

Each morning 24/7 Wall St. issues a summary list of key analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations issued by Wall Street research firms. We review these calls and other calls made throughout the week to see which stand out the most. Some are great calls that were full of insight, while others were total flops. After reviewing and filtering all of these research reports, we end up with the top analyst calls of the week.

We had many key calls that stood out this week in shares of the following: Alcatel-Lucent SA (NYSE: ALU); Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN); Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL); Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO); Computer Sciences Corporation (NYSE: CSC); Corrections Corporation of America (NYSE:CXW); Dean Foods Company (NYSE: DF); Enterprise Products Partners LP (NYSE: EPD); Genworth Financial Inc. (NYSE: GNW); Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR); Groupon, Inc. (NASDAQ: GRPN); The Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD); Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd. (NASDAQ: MPEL); Pier 1 Imports, Inc. (NYSE: PIR); SurModics Inc. (NASDAQ: SRDX); Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (NASDAQ: TEVA); Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ: VRTX); and YRC Worldwide. Inc. (NASDAQ: YRCW).

We have broken each of these calls out and added in color where applicable.

Alcatel-Lucent SA (NYSE: ALU) can’t get off the floor and it keeps disappointing. Shares even closed at $1.99 after seeing a year low of $1.92 on Friday. Alcatel’s chart looks almost the same as the chart of late-2008, but it cannot blame the market this time. We saw three downgrades worth noting this last week: Cut to Sell at Citigroup; Cut estimates and target at Argus; and Cut to Neutral at BofA/Merrill Lynch.

Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) had two big calls this last week. The main call was on Friday when Nomura issued a very unenthusiastic NEUTRAL rating. The other call came on Thursday when Zacks added it to the STRONG SELL list. With valuations still very high and with profit margins running razor-thin, it seems that at least some caution should prevail unless the holiday season is going to blow the doors of the hinges here.

Filed under: Analyst Calls, Research, The Week Tagged: AAPL, ALIM, ALU, AMZN, CSC, CSCO, CXW, DF, EPD, GMCR, GNW, GRPN, HD, MPEL, PIR, SRDX, TEVA, VRTX, YRCW

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (ALU, AIG, DK, GRPN, HD, ING, K, MDVN, PIR, DGX, TOL, VE, PAY, WES, YRCW)

Administrator — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 13:22:59 +0000

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

Alcatel-Lucent SA (NYSE: ALU) Cut to Sell at Citigroup; Cut estimates and target at Argus.
American International Group Inc. (NYSE: AIG) named as Bear of the Day at Zacks.
Delek US Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: DK) named value stock of the day at Zacks.
Groupon, Inc. (NASDAQ: GRPN) Started as Buy at Benchmark.
The Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) Raised to Outperform at RBC.
ING Groep NV (NYSE: ING) Cut to Hold at Soc-Gen.
Kellogg Co. (NYSE: K) Cut to Market Perform at William Blair.
Medivation, Inc. (NASDAQ: MDVN) Raised to Outperform as Bull of the Day at Zacks.
Pier 1 Imports, Inc. (NYSE: PIR) Started as Outperform at Wells Fargo.
Quest Diagnostics Inc. (NYSE: DGX) Raised to Outperform at RBC.
Toll Brothers Inc. (NYSE: TOL) Raised to Buy at Citigroup.
Veolia Environnement S.A. (NYSE: VE) Cut to Underweight at JPMorgan.
VeriFone Systems, Inc (NYSE: PAY) Started as Buy at Citigroup.
Western Gas Partners. L.P. (NYSE: WES) Raised to Outperform at Credit Suisse.
YRC Worldwide. Inc. (NASDAQ: YRCW) Maintained Underperform and target cut to $0.05 at Credit Suisse; maintained neutral with losing share at Zacks.

See the top analyst upgrades and downgrades of the prior week here.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: AIG, ALU, DGX, DK, GRPN, HD, ING, K, MDVN, PAY, PIR, TOL, VE, WES, YRCW

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (AMAT, CAR, BMY, BRCM, CTRN, CL, ENB, HUN, LRCX, MU, PIR, RENN, TEF)

Administrator — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 12:19:06 +0000

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

Applied Materials Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT) Cut to Sell at Goldman Sachs.
Avis Budget Group (NYSE: CAR) named as Bull of the Day at Zacks.
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) Raised to Buy at Jefferies.
Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ: BRCM) Raised to Outperform at William Blair.
Citi Trends, Inc. (NASDAQ: CTRN) named as Bear of the Day at Zacks.
Colgate-Palmolive Co. (NYSE: CL) Added to Focus 1 List at BofA/ML.
Enbridge Inc. (NYSE: ENB) Started as Outperform at Scotia.
Huntsman Corporation (NYSE: HUN) Reinstated as Neutral at BofA/ML.
Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ: LRCX) Cut to Neutral at Goldman Sachs.
Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MU) Raised to Neutral at Goldman Sachs.
Pier 1 Imports, Inc. (NYSE: PIR) Raised to Buy at KeyBanc.
Renren Inc. (NYSE: RENN) Started as Underperform at Macquarie.
Telefonica, S.A. (NYSE: TEF) Raised to Buy at UBS.

See last week’s top analyst calls here.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: AMAT, BMY, BRCM, CAR, CL, CTRN, ENB, HUN, LRCX, MU, PIR, RENN, TEF