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Mergers Closing For Vote (FLEX, SLR, PYX, ENR, NWRE, HPQ, AGE, WB, AV, RARE, DRI)

247wallst — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 21:06:31 +0000

This week we have many mergers coming up for approval from shareholders, and many of these will no longer be trading after this week. Here is a partial list of the more active stocks up for shareholder approval this Thursday and Friday:

Flextronics (NASDAQ:FLEX) and Solectron (NYSE:SLR)… Election Deadline 5:00 P.M. EST on Thursday, September 27, 2007. Playtex Products Inc. (NYSE:PYX) shareholders will vote Thursday on the firm’s $2 billion acquisition by Energizer Holdings Inc. (NYSE:ENR) during a special meeting. The acquisition of Neoware (NASDAQ:NWRE) by H-P (NYSE:HP) should be approved handily and gladly by holders on Thursday.

Friday is perhaps the last day we’ll ever see A.G.Edwards (NYSE:AGE) trade independently as Wachovia (NYSE:WB) is taking this over; shareholders expected to approve and no regulations in the way. Avaya (NYSE:AV) special meeting is September 28 over its sale to Sierra, formed by Silver lake Partners and TPG Capital. Rare Hospitality (NASDAQ:RARE) should also cease trading after this Friday as well as it becomes part of Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI).

If these have changed, it has been very recently. There is always a chance that these will have been temporarily delayed. We have been covering many of these for our BAIT SHOP list of merger candidates in our "Special Situation Investing Newsletter" that is available on trial.

Jon C. Ogg
September 26, 2007

Jon Ogg can be reached at jonogg@247wallst.com; he produces the Special Situation Investing Newsletter and he does not own securities in the companies he covers.

NYSE Short Interest, June 2007

247wallst — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 19:13:29 +0000

The NYSE released short interest in stocks traded on the exchange. The figures are as of June 15 and are compared to the comparable numbers at of May 15.

Largest Shares Short By Company

Company Shares Short

Ford (F) 213.1 million

Motorola (MOT) 139.3 million

TimeW (TWX) 79.3 million

Qwest (Q) 78.9 million

AMD (AMD) 73.8 million

CVS (CVS) 66.7 million

GE (GE) 59.9 million

GM (GM) 57.6 million

Pfizer (PFE) 54.5 million

Natl Semi (NSM) 52.9 million

Wells Fargo (WFC) 51.8 million

SpintNextel (S) 51.0 million

Tenet Health (THC) 51.0 million

Disney (DIS) 50.7 million

Largest Increases In Short Position

Company Increase

National Semi (NSM) 42.1 million up

IBM (IBM) 32.0 million

Wells Farge (WFC) 16.9 million

Micron (MU) 13.9 million

Motorola (MOT) 13.6 million

Largest Decreases

Company Decrease In Shares Short

Valero (VLO) Down 17 million

Solectron (SLR) Down 16.3 million

CVS Down 14.2 million

Xcel (XEL) Down 9.9 million

Schlumberger (SLB) Down 9.1 million

Coca-Cola (KO) Down 7.6 million

Time Warner (TWX) Down 7.4 million

Data from WSJ and NYSE

Douglas A. McIntyre

Pre-Market Analyst Calls (June 5, 2007)

247wallst — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 06:37:56 +0000

AAP raised to Neutral at JPMorgan.
ALDN cut to Mkt Perform at FBR.
ALY started as Outperform at Wachovia.
BEBE cut to Mkt Perform at FBR.
BEN cut to Underweight at JPMorgan.
BHP raised to Buy at Citigroup.
CPO started as Buy at BB&T.
CRZO started as Buy at Sun Trust Robinson Humphrey.
FIF raised to Outperform at Piper Jaffray.
HAS cut to Underweight at JPMorgan.
JNPR cut to Neutral at UBS.
OCNF started as Buy at Cantor Fitzgerald.
OHI started as Neutral at UBS.
OPWV cut to Underweight at JPMorgan; cut to Underperform at CIBC.
ORBC started as Mkt Perform at Piper Jaffray.
REG started as Neutral at Baird.
SFLY started as Strong Buy at JMP Securities.
SWIR raised to Outperform at CIBC.
SLR raised to Neutral at Credit Suisse.
TELK cut to Mkt Perform at Wachovia.
TRMP cut to Underperform at Bear Stearns.
WRI started as Outperform at Baird.
XEC cut to Neutral at UBS.

Jon C. Ogg
June 5, 2007

Earlybird Analyst Calls (MAY 15, 2007)

247wallst — Tue, 15 May 2007 06:19:34 +0000

AMGN cut to Neutral at Baird.
AOG cut to Hold at Jefferies.
BEAS cut to Neutral at Credit Suisse.
BHE started as Neutral at Credit Suisse.
CLS started as Underperform at Credit Suisse.
COGO started as Overweight at Lehman.
DCX raised to Buy at UBS.
EPIC started as Buy at UBS.
FLEX started as Outperform Credit Suisse.
GLP cut to Equal Weight at Lehman.
GM raised to Equal Weight at Lehman.
ICFI cut to Hold at Jefferies.
JAH started as Overweight at Lehman.
JBL started as Neutral at Credit Suisse.
MRO raised to Buy at B of A.
PGR started as Reduce at UBS.
PLXS started as Neutral at Credit Suisse.
SANM started as Neutral at Credit Suisse.
SLR started as Underperform at Credit Suisse.
SOFO started as Buy at Cantor Fitzgerald.
STEC cut to Hold at Deutsche Bank; cut to Sector Perform at CIBC.
TIBX cut to Neutral at Credit Suisse.
TSO cut to Neutral at B of A.
VRAZ started as Equal Weight at Lehman.
VLO cut to Neutral at B of A.

Jon C. Ogg
May 15, 2007

Jon Ogg can be reached at jonogg@247wallst.com; he does not own securities in the companies he covers.