24/7 Wall St. » TASR

24/7 Wall St. Closing Bell (GD, ABB, HOG, COP, S, ALU, MO, PEP, TLAB, XOM, AET, BMY, BG, JBLU, LIZ, MJN, REGN, SWY, SWC, TASR, UPS, YNDX, NRGY, SPH, LEAP, AKAM)

Paul Ausick — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:06:31 +0000

Markets opened a few ticks lower this morning after a poor report on new claims for unemployment benefits in the US (our coverage here). The report that pending home sales jumped 4.1% lit a fire under investors and pushed equities higher (our coverage here). The EIA report on natural gas supplies held gas prices higher although they’ve dropped back by late afternoon (our coverage here). Yields on 7-year US Treasury notes were at a record low following Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke’s clarification of what “exceptionally low” interest rates mean (our coverage here). The US dollar index fell today, now down -0.17% at 78.932. The GSCI commodity index is up 0.04% at 677.57, with commodities mixed on the slightly weaker dollar. WTI crude oil closed up 0.4% at $104.55/barrel, and Brent crude trades up 0.65% at $119.89/barrel. Gold settled up 1.1% today, at $1,660.50/ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up nearly 114 points to 13,204.70 (0.87%), the NASDAQ rose nearly 21 points (0.69%) to 3,050.61, and the S&P 500 rose 0.67% or more than 9 points to 1,399.99.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including General Dynamics Corp. (NYSE: GD) cut to ‘equal-weight’ at Morgan Stanley; ABB Ltd. (NYSE: ABB) cut to ‘neutral’ at JPMorgan; Harley-Davidson Inc. (NYSE: HOG) raised to ‘overweight’ at Barclays; ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) raised to ‘neutral’ at Macquarie; and Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S) maintained as ‘hold’ at Argus.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have led to some price changes as of the last half hour of trading today: Alcatel-Lucent S.A. (NYSE: ALU) is down -16.9% at $19.71 (our coverage here); Altria Group Inc. (NYSE: MO) is up 0.9% at $31.96 (our story here); Pepsico (NYSE: PEP) is down -0.3% at $66.44 (our story here); Tellabs Inc. (NASDAQ: TLAB) is down -5.1% at $3.83 (our coverage here); Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) is down -0.8% at $86.13 (our coverage here); Aetna Inc. (NYSE: AET) is down -8.4% at $45.22; Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (NYSE: BMY) is down -1.7% at $33.72; Bunge Ltd. (NYSE: BG) is down -2.6% at $65.69; JetBlue Airways Corp. (NASDAQ: JBLU) is down -0.1% at $4.64; Liz Claiborne Inc. (NYSE: LIZ) is up 9.4% at $13.87; Mead Johnson Nutrition Co. (NYSE: MJN) is up XX% at $XX; Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) is up 4% at $86.38 after posting a new 52-week high of $87.26n earlier today; Safeway Inc. (NYSE: SWY) is down -2.8% at $21.00; Stillwater Mining Co. (NYSE: SWC) is down -4.6% at $10.69; TASER International Inc. (NASDAQ: TASR) is up 5.7% at $4.39; United Parcel Service Inc. (NYSE: UPS) is down -1.8% at $78.25; and Yandex N.V. (NASDAQ: YNDX) is down -5% at $23.31.

Other standouts from today include the following stocks:

Inergy L.P. (NYSE: NRGY) is up 17% at $19.71. The company is being acquired by Suburban Propane Partners LP (NYSE: SPH). More coverage here.

Leap Wireless International Inc. (NASDAQ: LEAP) is down -20.2% at $6.16. The wireless carrier fell sharply on disappointing quarterly results. More coverage here.

Akamai Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM) is down -14.8% at $33.03. The technology provider beat estimates but issued weak guidance.

Stay tuned for Friday. We have noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

8:30 a.m. – GDP report
8:30 a.m. – Employment cost index
9:55 a.m. – Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment index

Paul Ausick

Filed under: HI/LOW, Market Close Tagged: ABB, AET, AKAM, ALU, BG, BMY, COP, GD, HOG, JBLU, LEAP, LIZ, MJN, MO, NRGY, PEP, REGN, S, SPH, SWC, SWY, TASR, TLAB, UPS, XOM, YNDX

Rare 52-Week Highs During Weak Market (FUN, LNG, HITK, MGAM, SPPI, TASR)

Administrator — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:17:34 +0000

Outside of those crazy inverse and negative-inverse ETFs, it is odd when you see non-M&A stocks hitting 52-week highs during a multi-day broad market sell-off. This is a time when investors are skittish over international news out of Europe ahead of a time when most market participants are taking a 4-day or even 5-day holiday. Still, here are a few…

Cedar Fair L.P. (NYSE: FUN) hit a year high of $22.78 today and shares are up1.4% at $23.40. Jim Cramer touted this one on Monday evening as having no real Europe and international exposure.

Cheniere Energy, Inc. (AMEX: LNG) is surging on news of its new 20-year supply pact. While shares are “only” up 3.4% at $11.87 on double the normal volume.

Hi-Tech Pharmacal Co., Inc. (NASDAQ: HITK) hit a $39.50 year high today and shares are currently up 4.4% at $39.39.

Multimedia Games Inc. (NASDAQ: MGAM) is up 3.75% at $7.20 and the stock hit a high of $7.24 after earnings.

Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPPI) is up 2.5% again at $13.17 and shares hit a new high of $13.22 on continued interest after yesterday’s news that the FDA simplified the approval for Zevalin.

Taser International, Inc. (NASDAQ: TASR) hit a year high of $6.11 today and shares are up 2.9% at $6.04 in mid-day trading.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: HI/LOW, Trading Alert Tagged: FUN, HITK, LNG, MGAM, SPPI, TASR

The 24/7 Wall St. Top 7 Analyst Calls of the Week (BRCD, DNDN, DRYS, SIRI, SZYM, TASR, VG, DELL, TINY)

Administrator — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 15:20:54 +0000

Each morning we give a quick hit to the top Wall Street analyst upgrades and downgrades that we see. As you might expect, some calls are much better, are much more aggressive, or have much deeper insight than others. On Saturday we prefer to give you the biggest standout calls from the week. The top analyst research calls in the last week by our take covered shares of Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: BRCD), Dendreon Corporation (NASDAQ: DNDN), DryShips, Inc. (NASDAQ: DRYS), SIRIUS XM Radio Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI), Solazyme, Inc. (NASDAQ: SZYM), TASER International Inc. (NASDAQ: TASR), and Vonage Holdings Corporation (NYSE: VG).

Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: BRCD) saw a big move on Thursday and shares hit a new 52-week high on both Thursday and Friday. Paul Mansky at Canaccord Genuity noted that Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) should acquire the company and this sent shares off to the races. The stock was at $6.67 on Wednesday and closed at $7.13 Friday for a gain of about 7%. When the call was made, the shares traded 5-times normal volume. Our take: Mansky’s call is one we agree with.

Dendreon Corporation (NASDAQ: DNDN) was given yet another top-call of the week as Goldman Sachs started coverage with a Buy rating and issued a $50.00 price target objective. Goldman Sachs sees Provenge being a very successful drug in te fight against late-stage prostate cancer. This flies against a very cautions call recently from Credit Suisse where that firm gave a $29 price target.

DryShips, Inc. (NASDAQ: DRYS) was given a large upgrade by Goldman Sachs and you rarely see analysts upgrade or downgrade this stock. The firm raised the rating to Buy from Neutral and it raised the price target objective to $6.00 from $5.50. This is not even a year-high as the 52-week range is $3.28 to $6.44. The pop on Friday was considerable. Before the call, DryShips was trading at $3.83 and that implied upside of 56% to that $6.00 target. The call does not even get too aggressive compared to other research calls as the consensus price target is actually $6.45.

SIRIUS XM Radio Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI) now has a new street-high target of $2.75 from Zacks. The rating company also raised its rating to “Outperform” and it was touted as the “Bull of the Day” in the call. More details are here.

Solazyme, Inc. (NASDAQ: SZYM) is the new hot renewable energy company that we noted may have gotten the nanotech sector back on the map. It has only been public for a week, but Raymond James initiated coverage with an “Outperform” rating and gave it a $25 price target. This one priced at $18.00, closed at $20.71 on its first day and closed this last Friday at $23.47. The value and interest around this IPO has also generated close to a 10% higher valuation for holder Harris & Harris Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: TINY).

TASER International Inc. (NASDAQ: TASR) is not one you routinely see coverage in and there is irony here despite a drop of almost 5% for the week. This week TASER was “Tased” by J.P.Morgan with a downgrade from an already cautious Neutral rating down to a worse “Underweight” rating. Effectively that is a “Sell” rating but the firm does not have a “Sell” rating in its official coverage. Oddly enough, there is some irony here. The price target on the call is $5.00, so there is actually an implied upside of almost 13% from Friday’s close of $4.43.

Vonage Holdings Corporation (NYSE: VG) is one company you rarely see analysts give coverage on. This week came a report from Janco Partners, initiating coverage with a “Buy” rating and a $6.00 price target. Janco’s report is based upon growing penetration of the ILD market, which it thinks will help with the churn rates and will help increase EBITDA margins. Also noted was that Vonage’s free cash flow profile should improve considering the capex is flat around $40 to $50 million, which should help the company pay down debt. Because the market was soft this did not create a massive run, but shares the prior Friday were at $4.67 and the close on Friday was $4.80.

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, The Week Tagged: BRCD, DELL, DNDN, DRYS, SIRI, SZYM, TASR, TINY, VG

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (AL, AMAG, ADI, APC, BRCM, COF, EBAY, EDR, BEN, GRMN, GS, MDT, MOS, NVDA, ODFL, ORCL, POT, TASR, TLLP, UFPI, WEC)

Administrator — Tue, 31 May 2011 11:55:17 +0000

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

Air Lease Corporation (NYSE: AL) Started as Outperform at Credit Suisse.
AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAG) Raised to Outperform at Baird.
Analog Devices Inc. (NYSE: ADI) Raised to Buy at BofA/ML.
Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: APC) Raised to Outperform at Wells Fargo.
Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ: BRCM) Raised to Outperform at BMO.
Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE: COF) Reiterated Sell at Argus.
eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) Raised to Buy at ThinkEquity.
Education Realty Trust Inc. (NYSE: EDR) Raised to Outperform at KBW.
Franklin Resources Inc. (NYSE: BEN) Raised to Buy at BofA/ML.
Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN) Maintained Underperform at BofA/ML.
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) Raised to Overweight at JPMorgan.
Medtronic Inc. (NYSE: MDT) Cut to Sell at Argus.
Mosaic Co. (NYSE: MOS) Raised to Buy at Citigroup.
NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) Raised to Buy at Auriga.
Old Dominion Freight Line Inc. (NASDAQ: ODFL) Reiterated Strong Buy as Aggressive Growth at Zacks.
Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ: ORCL) Raised Target to $41 as Bull of the Day at Zacks.
Potash Cor. of Saskatchewan (NYSE: POT) Raised to Buy at Citigroup.
TASER International Inc. (NASDAQ: TASR) Cut to Underweight at JPMorgan.
Tesoro Logistics LP Common Unit (NYSE: TLLP) Started as Outperform at Wells Fargo; Started as Outperform at Credit Suisse; Started as Buy at BofA/ML.
Universal Forest Products Inc. (NASDAQ: UFPI) Maintained Underperform as Bear of the Day at Zacks.
Wisconsin Energy Corporation (NYSE: WEC) Cut to Hold at Argus.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: ADI, AL, AMAG, APC, BEN, BRCM, COF, EBAY, EDR, GRMN, GS, MDT, MOS, NVDA, ODFL, ORCL, POT, TASR, TLLP, UFPI, WEC

Companies Profiting From Crime & Punishment (BCO, MOC, CXW, GEO, SWHC, RGR, TASR)

Administrator — Tue, 24 May 2011 16:19:10 +0000

America’s prisons are full, we have a serious border issue, and many cities are not really seeing the improvements in crime rates that was seen in many reports. 24/7 Wall St. has taken a look before at many current issues and there are many public companies which are based almost entirely around crime and defense. While many companies are diversified and many conglomerates have units focusing on this serious matter, we are focusing on the pure-play companies around crime, defense, and safety.

The Brink’s Company (NYSE: BCO), Command Security Corp. (AMEX: MOC), Corrections Corporation of America (NYSE: CXW), The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE: GEO), Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: SWHC), Sturm, Ruger & Co. Inc. (NYSE: RGR), and TASER International Inc. (NASDAQ: TASR) are just some of the key companies that investors have to choose from when it comes to the safety of America. We wanted to take a look at where these shares trade, what they are worth, and even if those crazy Wall Street analysts think they are good investments or not based upon consensus Thomson Reuters price target data. We have not included the Homeland Security winners as those companies are motivated by a different issue.

The Brink’s Company (NYSE: BCO) may be considered more of a transportation company, but if the world was full of a bunch angels then it would not be needed. The company is perhaps the world’s top provider of secure transportation and cash management services. Banks and merchants have to secure, cash, jewelry, stones, and other small precious and valuable goods because there is an element of society that will literally kill for those goods. This armed and secure transportation services operation trades with shares at $27.64 and its market capitalization is close to $1.3 billion. Its 52-week trading range is $18.30 to $34.46. Sales in 2010 were $3.12 billion and Thomson Reuters sees 2011 revenues of $3.76 billion. The consensus price target is roughly $36.00.

Command Security Corp. (AMEX: MOC) may have some overlaps that are not solely law enforcement, but this is a private security company with Rodgers Police, with over 6,000 armed and unarmed workers for the Secret Service, Fortune 1000 companies, and other government and/or private entities. The difference here is that this company is tiny compared to peers/ It sometimes skips trading days. At $1.59 it has a market cap of about $17.5 million and its 52-week range is $1.45 to $2.47. Revenues in 2010 (March year-end) were over $145 million. Unfortunately, this one just lost its CEO. This one is too small for most firms to cover it.

Corrections Corporation of America (NYSE: CXW) is where you end up after being a bad boy and when you big ambition of life was “three-hots and a cot.” The company owns and operates privatized correctional and detention facilities in America. Only the federal government and three states have more facilities than the “Con Hotel” of Corrections Corporation with some 66 facilities that include 45 company-owned facilities with a total design capacity of approximately 90,000 beds in 19 states and the District of Columbia. At Revenues in 2010 were 1.68 billion and Thomson Reuters has estimates of $1.73 billion for 2011 sales. At $22.79, its 52-week trading range is $18.19 to $26.89 and its market capitalization is over $2.4 billion. The consensus price target is roughly $30.00.

The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE: GEO) competes with Corrections Corp. as it provides outsourced services managing correctional, detention, and mental health and residential treatment facilities in the United States, Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. At $24.58, the market capitalization is about $1.58 billion and the 52-week range is $19.01 to $25.95. Sales in 2010 were $1.27 billion and Thomson Reuters expects sales of about $1.64 billion in 2011. The consensus price target is roughly $31.17.

Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: SWHC) and Sturm, Ruger & Co. Inc. (NYSE: RGR) are two of those companies which live on both sides of the ‘crime and defense sector’ when you think about it. The arguments for and against guns are many, but crime and public-defending cannot go without bringing in the gun manufacturers. The companies probably do not want this addressed too much, but whether you are cop or a hardened con chances are that you are packing a gun from one of these two companies or from their rivals. Smith & Wesson trades at $3.45, has a 52-week trading range of $3.27 to $4.60, and has a market cap of about $208 million. S&W’s sales in 2010 (different fiscal year, April) over $406 million and Thomson Reuters sees sales of over $390 million in 2011. Strum Ruger trades at $20.73, and its 52-week range is $12.66 to $24.05 with a market cap of about $395 million. Sales in 2010 were $255.2 million and Thomson Reuters sees sales of over $278 million in 2011. Let’s not forget about home security operations as well. The consensus price target for S&W is roughly $5.02 and the consensus price target for Sturm, Ruger is roughly $25.00.

TASER International Inc. (NASDAQ: TASR) is a controversial company because its Tasers (stun guns) have been the subject of many wrongful death suits against police departments and around the devices. What is amazing is that the one feature is rarely addressed publicly… Police sometimes have to use force. When you are attacking the police, or when you are resisting arrest and cannot be reasoned with that you have to go to the clink, would you rather have your head bashed with a baton, would you rather have a hollow-point-.44 enter your chest and exit your back the size of an orange, or would you rather be tasered? At $4.48, its 52-week range is $3.52 to $5.17 and its market capitalization is approximately $270 million. The company is now expected to run at profitability. Sales in 2010 were $86.9 million and Thomson Reuters expects sales of over $98 million in 2010. The consensus price target is roughly $5.17 but it is thinly followed.

Not including some of the defense companies and others like Tyco International Ltd. (NYSE: TYC) and Honeywell International Inc. (NYSE: HON) and Diebold, Incorporated (NYSE: DBD) makes this feel very incomplete, but we wanted to focus on pure-plays in security, weapons, prison, and others. There are also dozens of OTC or Pink Sheet stocks that can fit in the category of crime and punishment, but we usually refrain from covering such small companies.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Business Services, Compensation, Corporate Governance, Defense, Economy, Entertainment, Housing, Infrastructure, Law, Politics, Shareholder Issues Tagged: BCO, CXW, GEO, MOC, RGR, SWHC, TASR

Top Active Trader Alerts (ASML, BRCD, DGIT, ENER, ID, MON, SEED, SKS, TASR)

Administrator — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:40:24 +0000

Active traders have many stocks to choose from this morning, but there are fewer stocks than normal which are trading way up or way down. The top stocks for active traders and day traders so far this Tuesday morning are ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ: ASML), Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: BRCD), DG FastChannel, Inc. (NASDAQ: DGIT), Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENER), L-1 Identity Solutions Inc. (NYSE: ID), Monsanto Co. (NYSE: MON), Origin Agritech Limited (NASDAQ: SEED), Saks Incorporated (NYSE: SKS), and TASER International, Inc. (NASDAQ: TASR).

ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ: ASML) is trading lower by almost 3% at $24.70 for its ADRs after overseas markets are weak.

Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: BRCD) is trading up less than 1% at just over $5.00 on some 50,000 shares as investors are hoping that this is the next buyout target after 3PAR.

DG FastChannel, Inc. (NASDAQ: DGIT) is getting a bit of a bounce after yesterday’s major sell-off in the stock. Shares are up over 2% at $$15.44 on over 30,000 shares.

Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENER) is trading up 3% at $4.10 on fairly thin volume after its earnings beat expectations.

L-1 Identity Solutions Inc. (NYSE: ID) is trading down 3.4% at $8.72 on about 16,000 shares after the company announced an amended credit pact that sets the terms IF a buyout comes (it has itself up for sale).

Monsanto Co. (NYSE: MON) is trading down by 1.5% or so around $55.00 on 16,000 shares after it narrowed its earnings guidance.

Origin Agritech Limited (NASDAQ: SEED) is down over 8% at $7.40, although trading volume is thin. Earnings were mixed because it beat earnings expectations but the guidance ahead looks soft.

Saks Incorporated (NYSE: SKS) is soaring on word that private equity firms are interested in paying up to $1.7 billion to acquire the luxury retail department store. Shares are up over 26% at $8.36 on over 500,000 shares.

TASER International, Inc. (NASDAQ: TASR) is very thin trading volume so this may be different later in the morning. Shares traded up over 7% at $3.92 on news that it won a judgment and final injunction in its patent infringement against Stinger Systems.

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: Pre-Market Activity Tagged: ASML, BRCD, DGIT, ENER, ID, MON, SEED, SKS, TASR

Top Day Trader Alerts (ARNA, DNDN, ISLE, RIMM, SWHC, RGR, TASR, YHOO)

Administrator — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 12:38:58 +0000

Many stocks on the move for day trader and active trader alerts early this Thursday morning. Some are earnings and guidance, some are not. Today’s big movers are Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARNA), Dendreon Corp. (NASDAQ: DNDN), Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. (NASDAQ: ISLE), Research in Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ: RIMM), Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: SWHC), Sturm, Ruger & Co. Inc. (NYSE: RGR), TASER International Inc. (NASDAQ: TASR), and Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO).

We have provided the news or reason behind the move, as well as background data and added color on each where applicable.

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARNA) is trading up after the company licensed its obesity and weight loss drug to Eisai. Shares closed at $3.07 yesterday and are up 15% at $3.53 on close to 300,000 shares.

Dendreon Corp. (NASDAQ: DNDN) is getting clipped aggressively this morning after the U.S. government said it will review whether PROVENGE for prostate cancer is reasonable and necessary. This is a move meant to drive down the reimbursement rates after the price tag is so high. Shares are down over 15% at $27.47 on over 500,000 shares. This will be one of the day’s most active stocks for sure.

Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. (NASDAQ: ISLE) is surging this morning on news that it halted a 9 million share secondary offering due to adverse stock market conditions. Shares are up more than you might expect on the news as the stock is up over 13% at $10.50 on about 25,000 shares.

Research in Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ: RIMM) is down 0.5% this morning and\has put in yet even newer 52-week lows… Stocks hitting 52-week lows tend to keep hitting 52-week lows. $50 was violated yesterday, now $49 is being violated this morning.

Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: SWHC) is on the move after its lower quarterly earnings were actually above estimates and after its outlook pleased investors. Dirty Harry would be proud. Shares of the gun-maker are up over 7.5% at $4.40 on about 20,000 shares. The 52-week range is $3.75 to $6.98 and average shares per day is over 1 million. Look for volume to pick up as the open gets closer. Sturm, Ruger & Co. Inc. (NYSE: RGR) is the other player in guns, but no trades have been seen there yet.

TASER International Inc. (NASDAQ: TASR) seeing 52-week lows and is not feeling much love after it lowered estimates. Shares are trading down just over 10% at $3.50 on about 10,000 shares. The prior 52-week range was $3.79 to $7.88 and it trades about 1.1 million shares on average.

Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) is indicated higher, although on somewhat thin trading volume. The lagging internet giant has authorized a new repurchase plan for shares up to $3 billion over the next three years to replace its prior $3 billion plan. The prior plan had only about $300+ million remaining on it. Shares are up 1.1% at $13.99 on only about 30,000 shares.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Pre-Market Activity, Trading Alert Tagged: ARNA, DNDN, ISLE, RGR, RIMM, SWHC, TASR, YHOO

Top 10 Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades (AIG, BA, CX, GOOG, HRB, INTC, NVDA, SANM, TASR, VVUS)

Administrator — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 12:26:47 +0000

These are ten of the top analyst calls seen so far this Tuesday morning from the upgrades, downgrades, and initiations from Wall Street firms:

American International Group Inc. (NYSE: AIG) Cut to Underperform with a $6.00 Target at KBW.
Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) Raised to Outperform at Wells Fargo.
CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE: CX) STarted as Buy at Jefferies.
Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) Maintained Buy but Removed from Conviction Buy List at Goldman Sachs.
H&R Block Inc. (NYSE: HRB) Raised to Outperform at Oppenheimer.
Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) Started as Buy at Sterne Agee.
Nvidia Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) Started as Neutral at Sterne Agee.
Sanmina SCI (NASDAQ: SANM) Raised to Buy at Needham.
TASER International Inc. (NASDAQ: TASR) Raised to Neutral from Underweight at JPMorgan.
VIVUS Inc. (NASDAQ: VVUS) Started as Buy at Brean Murray.

JON C. OGG

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Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: AIG, BA, CX, GOOG, HRB, INTC, NVDA, SANM, TASR, VVUS

Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades (AA, ACL, CREE, EMC, GNW, JNPR, KMP, MPEL, MWW, TSO, TASR, YGE)

Administrator — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 12:19:24 +0000

These are this Monday’s top analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen from Wall Street research notes this morning:

Alcoa, Inc. (NYSE: AA) Cut to Hold at Deutsche Bank.
Alcon Inc. (NYSE: ACL) Cut to Market Perform at BMO Capital.
Cree, Inc. (NASDAQ: CREE) Raised to Buy at UBS.
EMC Corp. (NYSE: EMC) Raised to Overweight at Piper Jaffray.
Genworth Financial (NYSE: GNW) Cut to Hold at Deutsche Bank.
Juniper Networks (NASDAQ: JNPR) Raised to Outperform at Wells Fargo.
Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP (NYSE: KMP) Cut to Neutral at UBS.
Melco Crown Entertainment (NASDAQ: MPEL) Raised to Overweight at JPMorgan.
Monster Worldwide (NYSE: MWW) Cut to Sell at Goldman Sachs.
Tesoro (NYSE: TSO) Cut to Hold at Deutsche Bank.
Taser International (NASDAQ: TASR) Cut To underweight at JPMorgan.
Yingli Green Energy (NYSE: YGE) Cut to Neutral at Macquarie.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: AA, ACL, CREE, EMC, GNW, JNPR, KMP, MPEL, MWW, TASR, TSO, YGE

Top 10 Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades (BRK-B, BP, ESV, NSC, RIMM, SNDK, SIRI, TASR, TOT, WFMI)

247wallst — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 13:07:15 +0000

These are ten of the top analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations we have seen from Wall Street research calls this Monday morning in the pre-market hours:

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-B) Cut to Market Perform at KBW.
BP plc (NYSE: BP) Raised to Buy at BofA/Merrill Lynch.
Ensco International (NYSE: ESV) Raised to Conviction Buy List at Goldman Sachs.
Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC) Raised to Overweight at Barclays.
Research-in-Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) Target raised to $100 at Canaccord.
SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) Maintained as Dell at Auriga.
SIRIUS XM Radio Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI) Cut to Hold at Wunderlich.
TASER International (NASDAQ: TASR) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan.
Total SA (NYSE: TOT) Cut to Neutral at BofA/Merrill Lynch.
Whole Foods Market, Inc. (NASDAQ: WFMI) Raised to Neutral at UBS.

Jon C. Ogg

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: BP, BRK-B, ESV, NSC, RIMM, SIRI, SNDK, TASR, TOT, WFMI