Amazon’s new AmazonSupply.com is selling a broad array of scientific, industrial, and business supplies, occupational safety, tools, and many other large-scale parts and equipment.  The aim here is to capture a small piece of the materials, hydraulic equipment, fasteners, lab & scientific equipment.  The amazonsupply.com site claims some 500,000 items with more added every day.

A report from Citigroup is claiming that this is direct competition for W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE: GWW) for its 27% sales that come from online as the Amazon site is said to often have lower prices for the direct same products of Grainger on the informal price comparison.  Citigroup maintained a ‘Sell” rating and shares are down 4% at $202.64.  Now we know at least one more reason as to why Amazon was buying that robotics company for warehouses.

There is perhaps a larger concern here.  Amazon has often competed against the “Buy It Now” feature of eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) because after all this is a store offering versus a store offering.  Amazon is branching out further and further and no one knows where it will stop.  Perhaps another question is whether or not Amazon (or others) go after Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Incorporated (NYSE: RBA) for its on-site and online bidding process.  Ritchie Bros. sells used and unused heavy industrial equipment, trucks, and other machinery.  It has a market cap of just under $2.2 billion but sales were $348 million in 2011.

If you have an online products marketplace or an online exchange of goods, chances seem high that Amazon or other giants want a piece of it.  Amazon has bought Zappos.com for an online shoe market and it has entered into many other online sales as well.  It now even has a large area for sports collectibles and memorabilia.  Jeff Bezos wants a piece of anything and everything you can buy or sell.

JON C. OGG

AmerisourceBergen Corp. (NYSE: ABC) Reiterated Buy and raised target to $50 at Argus.
Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) Reiterated Outperform and raised target to $94 at Credit Suisse.
Central European Distribution Corp. (NASDAQ: CEDC) Raised to Neutral at Credit Suisse; Cut to Neutral at Goldman Sachs.
Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE: XOM) Reiterated Strong Buy as Value at Zacks.
First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) Raised to Buy at Auriga.
Foster Wheeler AG (NASDAQ: FWLT) Reiterated Buy at Gabelli.
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) Started as Buy at UBS.
J.P.Morgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) Started as Buy at UBS.
Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS) Maintained Outperform at Credit Suisse; Maintained Buy at Gabelli.
Legg Mason Inc. (NYSE: LM) Cut to Market Perform at KBW.
MetroPCS Communications Inc. (NYSE: PCS) Reiterated Buy and Raised target to $22 at Argus.
Mylan, Inc. (NYSE: MYL) Cut to Equal-Weight at Morgan Stanley.
Office Depot, Inc. (NYSE: ODP) Cautious as Bear of the Day at Zacks.
OpenTable, Inc. (NASDAQ: OPEN) Raised to Outperform at Oppenheimer.
Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Incorporated (NYSE: RBA) Cut to Underperform at BofA/ML.
Sanofi-Aventis (NYSE: SNY) Raised to Buy at BofA/ML.
Shanda Interactive Entertainment Ltd. (NASDAQ: SNDA) Raised to Hold at S&P Equity Research (lathe Tuesday).
SIRIUS XM Radio inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI) Maintained Buy with private market value of $2.85 at Gabelli.
SurModics, Inc. (NASDAQ: SRDX) Raised to Outperform as Bull of the Day at Zacks.
ValueClick, Inc. (NASDAQ: VCLK) Raised to Buy at Jefferies; Raised to Buy at Needham.

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JON C. OGG

Athenahealth (NASDAQ: ATHN) Started as Market Perform at Wells Fargo.
BP plc (NYSE: BP) Cut to Hold at Standpoint; maintained at HOLD per S&P Equity Research.
Omega Healthcare (NYSE: OHI) Raised to Outperform at Wells Fargo.
Federated Investors (NYSE: FII) Cut to Neutral at Macquarie.
J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) Raised to Outperform at Wells Fargo.
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) Raised to Buy at BofA/Merrill Lynch; Raaised to Outperform at Oppenheimer.
Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) Started as Buy at Jefferies.
The Mosaic Co. (NYSE: MOS) Raised to Overweight at JMorgan.
Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Incorporated (NYSE: RBA) has seen targets or ratings trimmed at BMO, Raymond James, RBC, Paradigm, and more.
Royal Gold, Inc. (NASDAQ: RGLD) Raised to Buy at UBS.
VIVUS, Inc. (NASDAQ: VVUS) has been downgraded by Needham, Jefferies, JPMorgan, Brean Murray, and likely others.
Vodafone plc (NYSE: VOD) Started as Buy at Jefferies.
Wynn Resorts Ltd. (NASDAQ: WYNN) Started as Buy at Jefferies.

JON C. OGG

Accenture (ACN) Cut to Hold at Argus.
Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) Cut to Sell at Deutsche Bank.
Metabasis (MBRX) Cut to Perform at Oppenheimer.
Nexen (NXY) Cut to Market Perform at Raymond James.
Principal Financial (PFG) Cut to Underperform at FBR.
Ritchie Brothers (RBA) Cut to Market Perform at Raymond James.

JON C. OGG