24/7 Wall St. » SAFM

Morning Movers (DKS, TSCO, SAFM, WSM, INFY)

Paul Ausick — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:24:56 +0000

There are several stocks trading more heavily than usual this morning, and also experiencing large gains or drops in share prices. These include Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. (NYSE: DKS), Tractor Supply Co. (NASDAQ: TSCO), Sanderson Farms Inc. (NASDAQ: SAFM), Williams-Sonoma Inc. (NYSE: WSM), and Infosys Ltd. (NASDAQ: INFY).

After the first half hour of trading, Dick’s Sporting Goods is up more than 9% at $39.83. Volume is already more than double the daily average. Volume has already double the daily average. The sporting goods retailer reported lagging sales, but offset that with a new $200 million share buyback program.

Tractor Supply is up more than 7.5% at $78.42, after posting a new 52-week high of $80.11. Volume has already surpassed the daily average. The farm and ranch retailer reported better-than-expected earnings last night and raised 2011 EPS guidance.

Sanderson Farms is up more than 6% at $50.33. Volume is heavy, at about 70% of the daily average already trading hands. The poultry producer is likely getting a boost from the latest federal report on crop prices, especially corn, which is expected to be both abundant and cheaper.

Williams-Sonoma is down nearly -13% at $34.02. Volume is already 4x the daily average. The home furnishings company cut its sales guidance and announced a new stock repurchase program this morning.

Infosys is down nearly -9% at $51.76. Volume is already 3x the daily average. The India-based business outsourcing company missed the consensus estimate for fourth-quarter EPS.

Paul Ausick

Filed under: HI/LOW, Market Open, The Day Tagged: DKS, INFY, SAFM, TSCO, WSM

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (T, FFIV, URBN, AMGN, BAX, CAG, GIS, NAV, SAFM, JEF, NKE, ORCL, TRGT, CIE, CSIQ, PBH, HOV, CVS)

Paul Ausick — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 21:06:30 +0000

US equity markets opened sharply higher this morning and have been able to sustain and even add to those gains throughout the day. Business and consumer confidence indexes in Europe were higher, giving an early boost to share prices. Then an unexpectedly large jump in new housing starts, especially multi-family dwellings, put an extra charge into investors. Proposed Federal Reserve rules governing big banks have had little impact on financial stocks, which are up about 4% in the late afternoon. Today’s auction of five-year Treasury went out at 0.880%, a record low yield. Crude oil is also sharply higher today, with WTI trading at $97.22/barrel, up more than 3.5%, and Brent is up 3.34% at $106.98. The US dollar has traded weaker all day today. Gold settled on the Comex up about 1.3%, at $1,616.80.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up nearly 336 points to 12,101.92 (2.85%), the NASDAQ rose more than 80 points (3.19%) to 2,603.73, and the S&P 500 rose 2.98% or nearly 36 points to 1,241.22.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) cut to ‘neutral’ at JPMorgan. Other ratings actions today include F5 Networks Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV) cut from ‘perform’ to ‘underperform’ at Oppenheimer; Urban Outfitters Inc. (NASDAQ: URBN) raised from ‘outperform’ to ‘Top Pick’ at FBR Capital; Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ: AMGN) added to ‘Strong Buy List’ at Zacks; and Baxter International Inc. (NYSE: BAX) lowered from ‘Top Pick List’ to ‘outperform’ and target price lowered from $61 to $58 at RBC Capital Markets.

Here are today’s post-earnings news reactions with prices during the last half-hour of trading: ConAgra Foods Inc. (NYSE: CAG) is up 4% at $26.18; General Mills Inc. is down about -1% at $39.19; Navistar International Corp. (NYSE: NAV) is up nearly 7% at $39.05; Sanderson Farms Inc. (NASDAQ: SAFM) is down -4% at $48.66; and Jefferies Group Inc. (NYSE: JEF) is up more than 22% at $14.46. After markets close today we get earnings from Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) and Oracle Corp. (NASDAQ: ORCL). See our 360 coverage on Oracle here and coverage of the ConAgra and General Mills reports here.

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

Targacept Inc. (NASDAQ: TRGT) is down more than -35% at $5.01, after posting a new 52-week low of $4.92 earlier in the day. The pharmaceutical maker’s anti-depressant drug, developed in conjunction with AstraZeneca plc (NYSE: AZN) has failed a late-stage trial.

Cobalt International Energy Inc. (NYSE: CIE) is up nearly 38% at $13.81. The oil & gas exploration company has signed a production-sharing agreement for a block offshore of Angola. Cobalt owns 40% of the project and is the operator.

Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSIQ) is up nearly 33% at $2.93. The solar panel maker has sold about 86 megawatts of generation to TransCanada Corp. (NYSE: TRP) for approximately $455 million.

Prestige Brand Holdings Inc. (NYSE: PBH) is up nearly 21% at $11.27. The drug and cleaning supplies company paid $660 million for a selection of nonprescription drugs from GlaxoSmithKline PLC (NYSE: GSK).

Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. (NYSE: HOV) is up more than 18% at $1.50. The home builder is riding the wave of good news about new housing starts.

CVS Caremark Corp. (NYSE: CVS) is up about 9% at $39.85, after posting a new 52-week high earlier of $39.86. The healthcare company raised fiscal year guidance and boosted its quarterly dividend by 30%, to $0.1625/share.

Stay tuned for Wednesday. The most widely anticipated report for tomorrow is due at 8:30 a.m. from the National Association of Realtors, which will be revising its new home sales data from 2007 forward. Lower sales of up to -13% are expected. Here are other noteworthy events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

7:00 a.m. – Mortgage Bankers Association purchase applications
10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly petroleum status report
1:00 p.m. – 7-year Treasury note auction

Paul Ausick

Filed under: HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: AMGN, BAX, CAG, CIE, CSIQ, CVS, FFIV, GIS, HOV, JEF, NAV, NKE, ORCL, PBH, SAFM, T, TRGT, URBN

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (AMCX, AHT, BG, CTRN, XRAY, EK, EQY, FFIV, IVN, MFB, PDS, RVBD, RYAAY, SAFM, TUDO)

Administrator — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 12:15:03 +0000

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

AMC Networks Inc. (NASDAQ: AMCX) Started as Sell at Stifel Nicolaus.
Ashford Hospitality Trust Inc. (NYSE: AHT) Started as Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Bunge Limited (NYSE: BG) Raised to Buy at Citigroup.
Citi Trends, Inc. (NASDAQ: CTRN) named Bear of the Day at Zacks.
DENTSPLY International (NASDAQ: XRAY) named Bull of the Day at Zacks.
Eastman Kodak Co. (NYSE: EK) Reiterated Hold at Argus.
Equity One Inc. (NYSE: EQY) Raised to Hold at Citigroup.
F5 Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV) Started as Hold at Jefferies.
Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. (NYSE: IVN) Raised to Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Maidenform Brands, Inc. (NYSE: MFB) named Value stock of the day at Zacks.
Precision Drilling Corporation (NYSE: PDS) Started as Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Riverbed Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: RVBD) Started as Underperform at Jefferies.
Ryanair Holdings plc (NASDAQ: RYAAY) Cut to Neutral at Goldman Sachs.
Sanderson Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ: SAFM) Added to Conviction Buy List at Goldman Sachs.
Tudou Holdings Limited (NASDAQ: TUDO) Started as Buy at Deutsche Bank.

With gold and silver bouncing after what looked like a bursting bubble, here is a list of the top-rated precious metals funds expected to win in uncertain times from Zacks.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: AHT, AMCX, BG, CTRN, EK, EQY, FFIV, IVN, MFB, PDS, RVBD, RYAAY, SAFM, TUDO, XRAY

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (AET, AMR, ADM, MT, BG, CINF, COH, EXPE, FAST, HGSI, NSIT, JNPR, KMB, PCLN, RYL, LCC, SAFM, WAG)

Administrator — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 12:11:21 +0000

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

Aetna Inc. (NYSE: AET) Raised to Buy at Jefferies.
AMR Corp. (NYSE: AMR) Raised to Neutral at BofA/ML.
Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) Started as Equal-Weight at Barclays.
Arcelor Mittal (NYSE: MT) Cut to UNderperform at BNP Paribas.
Bunge Limited (NYSE: BG) STarted as Overweight at Barclays.
Cincinnati Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: CINF) Maintained Underperform as Bear of the Day at Zacks.
Coach Inc. (NYSE: COH) Raised to Buy at Jefferies.
Expedia Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) Started as Neutral at Credit Suisse.
Fastenal Company (NASDAQ: FAST) Raised to Outperform as Bull of the Day at Zacks.
Human Genome Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ: HGSI) Started as Buy at Brean Murray.
Insight Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ: NSIT) Reiterated Buy as Value at Zacks.
Juniper Networks, Inc. (NYSE: JNPR) Raised to Outperform at Morgan Keegan.
Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NYSE: KMB) Raised to Equal-Weight at Barclays.
Priceline.com Incorporated (NASDAQ: PCLN) Started as Outperform with $720 target at Credit Suisse.
Ryland Group Inc. (NYSE: RYL) Raised to Neutral at Credit Suisse.
US Airways Group, Inc. (NYSE: LCC) Raised to Buy at BofA/ML.
Sanderson Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ: SAFM) Raised to Neutral at JPMorgan.
Walgreen Co. (NYSE: WAG) Cut to Underweight at Barclays.

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: ADM, AET, AMR, BG, CINF, COH, EXPE, FAST, HGSI, JNPR, KMB, LCC, MT, NSIT, PCLN, RYL, SAFM, WAG

Key Issues for the Week Ahead, The Unusual Suspects (AAPL, BKS, CLWR, EGPT, E, SLV, MORT, PUDA, SAFM, TWC, TUDO, VZ, WAMUQ, WETF)

Administrator — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:02:17 +0000

We have many carryover issues this Monday from last week and the weekend that will be feature issues to watch this week. These are “The Unusual Suspects” for the week ahead. Our cast of companies this week includes the following: Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL); Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS); Clearwire Corporation (NASDAQ: CLWR); Market Vectors Egypt Index ETF (NYSE: EGPT); Eni SpA (NYSE: E); iShares Silver Trust (NYSE: SLV); Market Vectors Mortgage REIT Income ETF (NYSE: MORT); Puda Coal Inc. (PUDA); Sanderson Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ: SAFM); Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC); Tudou Holdings Limited (NASDAQ: TUDO); Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ); Washington Mutual (WAMUQ); and WisdomTree Investments, Inc. (NASDAQ: WETF). We have compiled the background data on each and shown an implied outlook with added color if applicable.

These are all of the non-earnings events to watch this week. We have already compiled a separate key company earnings calendar with detailed previews and we also already featured the top analyst calls of last week as well.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) had many rumors from Friday through the weekend about the unveiling of the new iPad3, as if the iPad and iPad2 weren’t yet good enough. The rumored features are retinal scans and more. The iPhone5 is still due in September if the reports are still accurate.

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS) may have caused serious harm last week despite “the good news’ that it was staying independent and has secured an investment from John Malone and Liberty. Shares were down 17% or so on Friday and the bookseller will have to now fend for itself against Amazon, Apple, and others.

Clearwire Corporation (NASDAQ: CLWR) will be key to watch this week after a big pop Friday on the reports that Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S) may take on an investment that could allow Sprint to just acquire its 4G partner.

Market Vectors Egypt Index ETF (NYSE: EGPT) will be worth watching if tensions with Israel remain heightened after last week’s attacks that led to Egyptian police being killed at the border.

Eni SpA (NYSE: E) could be in for a huge week if Libya’s Gadhafi is losing control as fast as the reports are indicating. This Italian energy company was hit hard after it had to basically all but leave its infrastructure in Libya.

iShares Silver Trust (NYSE: SLV) has proven to be a death trap each time it went very much over $40.00 along with the price of silver. This time may be different, but all it takes is new margin requirements or any new regulation for the devil’s metal to get a severe haircut. THese shares are indicated north of $42.25 early Monday after closing at $41.68. Friday was only the second $40+ close in the last 90 days (August 3 was last).

Market Vectors Mortgage REIT Income ETF (NYSE: MORT) has fallen in price as have the value of most stocks, but this one is a new MBS REIT that offers what appear to be 10%+ yields. If the low rate environment holds with close to zero on short-term borrowing costs, then these will continue to attract investor interest.

Puda Coal Inc. (PUDA) has seen its shares suspended in trading by the SEC due to a lack of current and accurate information. More woes out of China.

Sanderson Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ: SAFM) could face a haircut after the producer of chickens was hammered in Barron’s saying it “faces brutal conditions. Feeding costs are rising, demand is slack and industry inventories are bulging.” Barron’s said the stock could crack.

Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC) is still one to watch as it was reported at the end of last week that it was a step closer to buying Carlyle’s Insight Communications for close to $3 billion including the assumption of debt.

Tudou Holdings Limited (NASDAQ: TUDO) was just another bad Chinese IPO that makes this China-IPO-hype more and more like Groundhog Day on Wall Street. Shares closed at the week’s low of $19.24 on Friday.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) has some 45,000 striking workers returning to work on Tuesday. A final pact has not been reached as of yet but negotiations are said to be closer.

Washington Mutual (WAMUQ) is set to find out if there is any value left in these residual shares. A Delaware federal bankruptcy court is set to hear final arguments this week over the revised Chapter 11 plan.

WisdomTree Investments, Inc. (NASDAQ: WETF) was featured positively in Barron’s over the weekend as the asset manager is a pure-play on ETF growth that has outperformed the market while rival shares have weakend.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Calendar, The Week Tagged: AAPL, BKS, CLWR, E, EGPT, MORT, PUDA, SAFM, SLV, TUDO, TWC, VZ, WAMUQ, WETF

Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades (AXP, CME, GLW, DF, DNDN, DB, EXPE, KR, NEE, SOL, SAFM, TSN, VIP)

Administrator — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 13:19:10 +0000

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

American Express Co. (NYSE: AXP) Started as Overweight at JPMorgan.
CME Group Inc.(NYSE: CME) Raised to Buy at Stifel Nicolaus.
Corning Inc. (NYSE: GLW) Started as Overweight at HSBC.
Dean Foods Company (NYSE: DF) Raised to Hold from Sell at S&P Equity Research (late yesterday call).
Dendreon Corporation (NASDAQ: DNDN) Started as Buy at BofA/ML (expanded details).
Deutsche Bank AG (NYSE: DB) Raised to Neutral at JPMorgan.
Expedia Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) Started as Buy at Jefferies.
The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Raised to Buy at UBS.
NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE) Started as Neutral at Goldman Sachs.
ReneSola Ltd. (NYSE: SOL) Started as Buy at Auriga.
Sanderson Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ: SAFM) Cut to Sell at Goldman Sachs.
Tyson Foods Inc. (NYSE: TSN) Raised to Neutral at Goldman Sachs.
VimpelCom Ltd. (NYSE: VIP) Cut to Neutral at Goldman Sachs.

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

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: AXP, CME, DB, DF, DNDN, EXPE, GLW, KR, NEE, SAFM, SOL, TSN, VIP

Top Active Trader Alerts (PAR, ISLN, CML, FAS, JAZZ, MTXX, POT, SAFM, WCRX)

Administrator — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 12:54:54 +0000

There are many stocks for active traders and day traders to pick from this Monday morning, and most are not on earnings. We are tracking key trading action in 3PAR, Inc. (NYSE: PAR), Isilon Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: ISLN), Compellent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: CML), Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (NYSE: FAS), Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: JAZZ), Matrixx Initiatives Inc. (NASDAQ: MTXX), Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan, Inc. (NYSE: POT), Sanderson Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ: SAFM) and Warner Chilcott plc (NASDAQ: WCRX).

3PAR, Inc. (NYSE: PAR) is trading up about 35% and above $24.00 per share now that Dell’s $18 bid has been trumped by H-P with a $24 cash offer. Competitors are up as well… Isilon Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: ISLN) shares are trading up 9.3% at $19.50 on about 20,000 shares. Compellent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: CML) is up 10% at $15.34 on thinner trading volume.

Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (NYSE: FAS) is seeing a move this morning as some interest is back in the financial sector as there has been a return of M&A. Shares are up 1.9% at $19.35 on close to 175,000 shares.

Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: JAZZ) is down sharply on active volume after the FDA panel rejected its experimental drug candidate for fibromyalgia. Shares are now down 21% at $8.01, but shares had been down about 28%, and the trading volume is already approaching 1 million shares.

Matrixx Initiatives Inc. (NASDAQ: MTXX) is surging this morning after an analyst upgrade after Friday’s settlement over certain suits tied to its Zycam cold medicine. Shares are up 6% at $5.36 on thin volume.

Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan, Inc. (NYSE: POT) is trading up after rejecting the BHP Billiton offer on a formal basis as it looks for competing bids. Shares are up only marginally by 1.8% at $152.40 on about 60,000 shares.

Sanderson Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ: SAFM) is down 5% at $41.00 after earnings slipped by more than 15% in a report from the company this morning.

Warner Chilcott plc (NASDAQ: WCRX) shares are up after Friday’s special dividend news. Shares are up 4.5% at $29.30 on more than 10,000 shares.

The Unusual Suspects For The Week Ahead (APOL, AUO, BKS, BHP, POT, BP, CPIX, FISV, GENZ, JAZZ, NFLX, NOVL, SYMC, TYC, VRML, CALL)

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Pre-Market Activity, Trading Alert Tagged: CML, FAS, ISLN, JAZZ, MTXX, PAR, POT, SAFM, WCRX

Top Analyst Downgrades (ASCA, BAC, BYD, LLTC, SAFM)

247wallst — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:27:41 +0000

These are some of the top pre-market analyst downgrades we have seen early this Tuesday morning from Wall Street:

Ameristar Casinos (ASCA) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.
Bank of America (BAC) Started as Underperform at Wachovia.
Boyd Gaming (BYD) Cut to Underweight at JPMorgan.
Linear Tech (LLTC) Cut to Hold at Canaccord.
Sanderson Farms (SAFM) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.

JON C. OGG

Posted in Analyst Calls Tagged: ASCA, BAC, BYD, LLTC, SAFM

Top Pre-Market Analyst Upgrades (BKS, HNI, LEAP, LGF, SAFM, SQM, SYNA, VIP)

247wallst — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 07:38:22 +0000

These are the top pre-market analyst upgrades and positive calls we have seen so far this Friday morning:

Burger King (BKC) Started as Buy at Citigroup.
HNI Corp. (HNI) Raised to Neutral at Goldman Sachs.
Leap Wireless (LEAP) Raised to Buy at Goldman Sachs.
Lionsgate Entertainment (LGF) Started as Overweight at Morgan Stanley.
Sanderson Farms (SAFM) Raised to Overweight at JPMorgan.
Sociedad Quimica (SQM) Started as Overweight at JPMorgan.
Synaptics (SYNA) Started as Overweight at JPMorgan.
Vimpelcom (VIP) Raised to Buy at Citigroup.

Jon C. Ogg
December 5, 2008

Posted in Analyst Calls Tagged: BKS, HNI, LEAP, LGF, SAFM, SQM, SYNA, VIP

Top 10 Early Bird Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (COGT, PSUN, RMD, NCTY, SAFM, UTHR, ARB, CS, CTRP, SUN)

247wallst — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 07:11:25 +0000

These are ten of the early bird analyst upgrades and downgrades we are seeing from Wall Street this Wednesday morning:

Cogent Inc. (COGT) Raised to Overweight at JPMorgan.
Pacific Sunwear (PSUN) Raised to Neutral from Sell at UBS.
ResMed (RMD) Started as Buy at Jefferies.
The9 Ltd. (NCTY) Raised to Hold from Sell at Citigroup.
Sanderson Farms (SAFM) Raised to neutral from Underweight at JPMorgan.
United Therapeutics (UTHR) Raised to Neutral from Sell at Piper Jaffray.
Arbitron (ARB) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.
Credit Suisse (CS) Cut to Sell from Neutral at UBS.
CTrip.com (CTRP) Cut to Sell from Buy at Citigroup; price target cut to $30.40 at Credit Suisse.
Sunoco (SUN) Cut to Sell from Hold at Deutsche Bank.

Jon C. Ogg
November 19, 2008

Posted in Analyst Calls Tagged: ARB, COGT, CS, CTRP, NCTY, PSUN, RMD, SAFM, SUN, UTHR